The Tennessee Valley Authority wasn't the only power company to face an energy shortage during the recent arctic blast, but the short-lived rolling blackouts raised new questions about dependability for one of the country's largest power providers. When Memphis recently considered a 20-year energy contract with TVA, critics pointed to its reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Though the power shortfall may have been an anomaly for the largely reliable TVA, extreme weather has become far more common due to climate change.
Political analyst Otis Sanford says both the TVA and MLGW — which grappled with a water crisis after the freeze — need to consider the long-term effects of climate change, and how to improve readiness for future disasters.