Earlier this year, Texas residents were plagued with rolling blackouts forcing many to suffer subfreezing temperatures for days inside their own homes. Now, Texas’ power grid is facing a similar crisis – only this time, residents are being asked to limit their use of electricity by setting their thermostats on temperatures above 80 degrees and suffer through the oppressive heat.

The lessons learned from the historic winter storms earlier this year still hold true in the face of the summer heat’s strain on the Texas power grid:

• Access to reliable, affordable energy is essential to diverse communities and their quality of life across the country.
• The widespread blackout events in Texas showcase the need for a diverse energy supply and better planning to support U.S. power grids during unprecedented events.
• All energy sources (natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar, and wind) fell short of expectations, however, natural gas carried the majority of the energy load in Texas and stopped the devastation from getting worse. In fact, natural gas provided over 85% of Texas’ total energy needs during that week.
• Energy infrastructure is critical to ensuring that natural gas systems are more resilient and dependable.

While an “All of the Above” energy approach is essential for a better energy future, the fact remains that the leading source of U.S. electric power generation is natural gas. It supplies electricity for one in three American households and businesses and is also responsible for 61 percent of the cumulative reductions carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. power sector between 2005 and 2019.

Now is not the time to let the foot off the gas when it comes to natural gas exploration and production.