This time last year, Iowans were beginning to reckon with the broader implications of the record cold weather event in Texas. The massive power outage that resulted sent shockwaves throughout the state of Texas, into Iowa, and beyond, highlighting significant shortcomings in our country’s energy infrastructure and its reliance on methane gas.

While investigations later revealed that all energy sources—coal, gas, diesel, wind, nuclear, and hydropower—were affected by the event, renewable energy received the brunt of the blame in the moments that followed. A year later, we know this to be untrue. In fact, according to the report released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, renewable energy represented just 23% of the states’ energy outages at the time, and natural gas and coal were responsible for an incredible 73% of the outages (55% and 18% respectively). Iowans can attest that wind energy can provide reliable and affordable electricity in the winter months, so long as the turbines are equipped with winterization measures.

It didn’t take long for Iowans to recognize that the event wasn’t isolated to the South. While Iowa didn’t suffer from the same outages, the artic event meant supply disruptions to Iowa and customers are still paying for the resulting price spikes today. These supply hikes were passed onto many customers as increases on our heating bill today and in the future.

Natural gas prices historically fluctuate much more than electricity prices. Leading into the 2021-2022 winter season, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) warned that natural gas expenditures in the Midwest were expected to rise by a jarring 45% compared with last winter, the largest increase of any region. While Iowa’s investor-owned utilities aren’t allowed to profit from these markups, they do pass these price increases directly onto customers instead of absorbing any of the cost themselves. This trend, compounded with last year’s event, means hefty and burdensome gas bills for customers. 

A changing climate means that more of these extreme weather events, like the one experienced last February, will continue and even escalate. Power outages are disproportionately dangerous for vulnerable populations, and the continued dependence on a volatile energy resource means unpredictable bills for us all. With electric heating technologies plummeting in cost and becoming increasingly viable in cold weather climates, it’s time to cut ties with fossil gas and turn to clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy.