{"id":426749,"date":"2026-02-17T11:42:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426749"},"modified":"2026-02-17T11:42:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T10:42:05","slug":"can-grid-handle-next-winter-storm-fern-solar-flare-or-enemy-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426749","title":{"rendered":"Can grid handle next Winter Storm Fern, solar flare, or enemy attack?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"362\" data-attachment-id=\"373105\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=373105\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?fit=1536%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1536,768\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?fit=723%2C362&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?resize=723%2C362&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-373105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?resize=1200%2C600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfact.org\/2026\/02\/16\/can-grid-handle-next-winter-storm-fern-solar-flare-or-enemy-attack\/#\">CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfact.org\/author\/paul3\/\">Paul Driessen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"373111\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=373111\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?fit=848%2C565&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"848,565\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Upset young woman wearing winter scarf standing isolated over white background, shivering&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1538051329&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;59&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Upset young woman wearing winter scarf&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Upset young woman wearing winter scarf\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Upset young woman wearing winter scarf standing isolated over white background, shivering&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-373111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?w=848&amp;ssl=1 848w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0fear-cold-not-heat.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Upset young woman wearing winter scarf standing isolated over white background, shivering<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>U.S. mostly dodged disaster this time. What if Net Zero mandates aren\u2019t adjusted or ended?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Winter Storm Fern (January 23-27) dumped heavy snow and ice on more than 240,000,000 Americans across 40 states and 2,300 miles, beginning in Arizona and wrapping up in Maine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scores died, including 20 in New York City, where&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/10\/us-news\/mamdani-wont-budge-on-involuntary-removal-of-homeless-new-yorkers-from-streets-as-cold-deaths-reach-18\/\">Mayor Mamdani refused<\/a>&nbsp;to close homeless camps or compel \u201cunhoused residents\u201d to move indoors, instead letting them rely on the \u201cwarmth of collectivism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roads and highways were impassable, 11 states declared emergencies, 30 airports closed for a day or more, and many cities recorded 10-24 inches of snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The New York Times<\/em>&nbsp;asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s up with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/07\/climate\/cold-weather-climate-change.html\">this big freeze<\/a>? Some scientists see climate change link.\u201d Two years earlier its headline warned, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/06\/climate\/winter-february-heat-wave.html\">Weirdly warm winter<\/a>&nbsp;has climate fingerprints all over it, study says.\u201d Fossil fuel fearmongering clearly never ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mid-twenties temperatures in Florida clobbered citrus groves and froze iguanas. The reptiles fell from trees, providing \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HqREvb2VTjw\">tastes-like-chicken<\/a>\u201d meat for sumptuous stews, curries, gumbos, and soups and helping conservation officials to cull the rampant invasive species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were no widespread blackouts from power failures, though there were close calls.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/01\/29\/texas-winter-storm-uri-anniversary-power-grid-ercot\/\">Texas gas lines were weatherproofed<\/a>&nbsp;after Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) and other jurisdictions had kept coal and gas generators operational, instead of opting to rely on wind and solar that were virtually useless during Fern\u2019s mostly windless and sunless onslaught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, ice on trees and power lines caused prolonged power outages that left millions of homes and businesses without electricity \u2013 or heat. Two weeks later, thousands still had no electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Memphis, a friend got her power back quickly, because her home is near shops, groceries, and restaurants. But nearby areas were still without power a week after Fern, despite the local utility deploying 1,800 line workers. Several homes caught fire moments after their power was restored, perhaps because they lacked surge suppressors or their old or inadequate electrical systems couldn\u2019t cope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stories were similar all across Fern\u2019s impact area. But the United States dodged a potentially huge bullet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modern early-warning, communication, building, electricity, and other technologies have made our lives far safer than in the past. But big winter storms across Southwest, Midwest, East Coast, or even much of the lower 48 states still strike frequently and recall deadly historic events like these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.onlyinyourstate.com\/nebraska\/historic-winter-storms-ne\/\">School Children\u2019s Blizzard<\/a>&nbsp;(January 1888) sent temperatures +35 to \u201320 and lower within hours, dropped several feet of snow, and killed 500 people, mostly in Nebraska and most of them children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/allthatsinteresting.com\/blizzard-of-1888\">Great White Hurricane<\/a>&nbsp;(March 1888) buried New York City and much of the East Coast under mountains of snow, killed over 400 people, and became the impetus for NYC\u2019s underground subway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real question: Will we learn lessons from Fern and heed warnings about the US grid and too-heavy reliance on wind, solar, battery, and related (heavily Chinese) technologies in time for the next Big One?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/energybadboys.substack.com\/p\/the-renewable-in-fern-o\">Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling<\/a>&nbsp;provide lessons. helpful charts, links. and readers\u2019 comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* The Midcontinent Independent System Operator\u2019s territory had an extremely close call, when hourly nameplate capacity factors for its wind turbines plunged from over 60% before Fern to 7% a day later, well below MISO\u2019s expected 29% winter capacity value, and didn\u2019t return to 60% for two more days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* US Department of Energy emergency orders kept three big Indiana and Michigan coal-fired generators operating (using coal stored onsite). Otherwise, the situation would have been dire in those states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* New England has been forcing or subsidizing heat pump installations and built a $1.6-billion transmission line to bring electricity from New York and Quebec. During Fern, natural gas prices skyrocketed, coal power had been eradicated, reliable nuclear did its part, wind was minimal, and solar was MIA. Much-hated&nbsp;<em>oil<\/em>&nbsp;became the foremost electricity generator \u2013 because extreme and sustained cold air across Qu\u00e9bec forced the Canadians to&nbsp;<em>suspend power delivery to New England<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That raises an even bigger question. What happens if large numbers of states go Net Zero, mandate heat pumps, or electric home and water heating? If they\u2019re all relying on nearly nonexistent \u201crenewable\u201d energy? Of if they\u2019re dependent on sources like Quebec and a \u201cClean Energy Connect\u201d transmission line? And they\u2019re caught in a blizzard proportionate to Fern or other historic storms?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Orr and Rolling asked: Where do you turn when you run out of other people\u2019s energy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* The huge&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcienergysolutions.com\/2024\/01\/03\/what-is-pjm-and-what-does-it-do\/\">PJM Interconnection<\/a>&nbsp;(wherein I reside) perhaps had Lady Luck on its side, because comparatively mild temperatures across the region kept demand low enough to forestall emergency alerts and load shedding (deliberate, planned interruption, or rolling blackouts), and it hasn\u2019t gone hog wild on \u201crenewables.\u201d However, its own gas winterization efforts also paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">* The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) may have weatherized its natural gas transmission system, but higher than predicted temperatures and thus lower than expected peak power demand may have saved the region \u2013 because its enormous wind and solar fleet was simply not up to the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why ERCOT \u2013 covering oil and natural gas capital&nbsp;<em>Texas<\/em>&nbsp;\u2013 would add 31 GW of solar, 9 GW of wind, and only 3 GW of gas over the past decade is inconceivable. Maybe that lone star will keep bringing it luck during the next&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2022\/01\/02\/texas-winter-storm-final-death-toll-246\/\">Winter Storm Uri<\/a>&nbsp;or Fern. But responsible energy providers shouldn\u2019t count on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other harbingers of danger must also be addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than half of the entire U.S. electric grid will soon reach&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerc.com\/globalassets\/our-work\/assessments\/nerc_ltra_2025.pdf\">high or elevated risk of blackouts<\/a>, due to growing demand, accelerating retirements of reliable coal, gas, and nuclear generators, and increasing reliance on unreliable, weather-dependent wind, solar and battery storage power, according to a new North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)&nbsp;<em>Long-Term Reliability Assessment<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Making the grid even more vulnerable, Carrington Events triggered by giant sunspots (like AR4366 on February 1, 2026) and solar flares can send&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/opinion\/sun-stronger-than-our-electric-grid-we-defenseless-against\">coronal mass ejections<\/a>&nbsp;into Earth\u2019s magnetic field. A large enough CME can electrify the planet\u2019s surface, send massive currents into high-voltage transmission lines, fry transformers and other equipment, cause widespread blackouts lasting months or years, shut down refrigeration, transportation, water systems and our entire lives \u2013 and kill countless millions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We must also consider risks of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/em\/disaster\/attack-electric-grid-raises-alarm-em.html\">sabotage, terrorism,<\/a>&nbsp;and deliberate shutdowns by malevolent foreign or domestic actors. China is our primary source not only for rare earth elements and other critical minerals, but also for wind turbines, solar panels, transformers, and grid-scale batteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beijing, Moscow, and their surrogates could them as strategic weapons: ban exports to impose political goals; use trip-switches or hacker backdoors already embedded in those technologies to close down limited or vast sections of our already vulnerable grid; engage in cyber or physical infrastructure attacks; or launch&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/resources-tools\/programs\/electromagnetic-pulse-and-geomagnetic-disturbance\">electromagnetic pulse attacks<\/a>&nbsp;from high altitude or outer space to inflict the same catastrophic damage as a huge coronal mass ejection on our grid, infrastructure, and military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If our politicians, judges, and regulators cannot end their obsession with climate change nightmares, renewable energy fantasies and other nitpicking topics \u2013 and our nation is plunged into widespread, prolonged, and&nbsp;<em>deadly<\/em>&nbsp;blackouts \u2013 \u201caccountability\u201d must come in much stronger forms than merely voting them out of office. Prosecution for gross malfeasance and dereliction in office will also be in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. mostly dodged disaster this time. What if Net Zero mandates aren\u2019t adjusted or ended?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":373105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818542,691820542,691818577,691841431,691830386,691830388,691841092],"class_list":{"0":"post-426749","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-florida","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-the-electric-reliability-council-of-texas-ercot","12":"tag-u-s-electric-grid","13":"tag-us-department-of-energy","14":"tag-winter-storm-fern","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0roywspencer_13617_city_in_winter_with_cars_emitting_clouds_of_7c3cbcd5-ca1c-4479-b9bf-f493c3219d82_0-1.png?fit=1536%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1N13","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":427039,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=427039","url_meta":{"origin":426749,"position":0},"title":"Texas Showdown: ERCOT vs Winter Storm Fern","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"19\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Texans recently experienced our worst winter storm since Uri in February 2021. Here in the DFW area, the temperature dropped below freezing early on Saturday morning, January 24, and stayed below 32 \u00b0F until the afternoon of January 27. In Dallas, we experienced freezing rain, sleet and snow for two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Energy\"","block_context":{"text":"Energy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-19-172128.png?fit=1200%2C603&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-19-172128.png?fit=1200%2C603&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-19-172128.png?fit=1200%2C603&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-19-172128.png?fit=1200%2C603&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-19-172128.png?fit=1200%2C603&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":423644,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=423644","url_meta":{"origin":426749,"position":1},"title":"Renewables power down as Winter Storm Fern heats up","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In Episode 537 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses how renewables have gone dark in many of the areas impacted by Winter Storm Fern, how state policymaking invites unstable grids, the need for new pipelines in the Northeast, and why energy abundance policies will catch on in the states. Tune\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"\u2060ERCOT\"","block_context":{"text":"\u2060ERCOT","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=%e2%81%a0ercot"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Fox-Gabriella-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Fox-Gabriella-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Fox-Gabriella-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Fox-Gabriella-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0Fox-Gabriella-scaled-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":426762,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=426762","url_meta":{"origin":426749,"position":2},"title":"When the Weather Turns, Permitting Failure Gets Expensive","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"17\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter Storm Fern has delivered a clear and uncomfortable reminder of how America\u2019s energy system actually works when it is under stress.","rel":"","context":"In \"Energy\"","block_context":{"text":"Energy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0winter2025inUSA-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0winter2025inUSA-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0winter2025inUSA-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0winter2025inUSA-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0winter2025inUSA-scaled-1.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":424009,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=424009","url_meta":{"origin":426749,"position":3},"title":"Poll finds New England women feel misled about climate","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"31\/01\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"With Winter Storm Fern wreaking havoc across the country, New England women are worried about energy affordability. 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