In February 2021, a series of severe winter storms, including Winter Storm Uri, triggered the worst energy infrastructure failure in Texas history, leaving over 4.5 million homes and businesses without power and causing at least 246 deaths (with some estimates up to 702) and $26.5 billion in damages. While Governor Greg Abbott initially blamed frozen wind turbines, data revealed that the primary failure was the lack of winterization of traditional natural gas infrastructure, which lost over five times more power than wind. The crisis was exacerbated by Texas's isolated power grid, which operates separately from national grids to avoid federal oversight, limiting its ability to import electricity. During the emergency, ERCOT came within 4 minutes and 37 seconds of a total grid collapse and held wholesale electricity prices at an exorbitant $9,000 per MWh (versus the typical $50) for two days longer than necessary, generating $16 billion in unnecessary charges. This disaster echoed warnings from the 2011 Groundhog Day blizzard, whose federal recommendations for winterizing the grid were ignored, highlighting the state's chronic lack of preparedness for cold weather.