USA TODAY
The claim: The U.S. Department of Energy blocked the Electric Reliability Council of Texas from allowing electricity generators to operate at maximum capacity in violation of federal permits
As a winter storm blanketed Texas in snow and a deep freeze last week, the state’s main electricity provider instituted rolling blackouts as it struggled to generate enough power to handle the increased load.
Posts circulating on social media falsely claim, though, that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas didn’t have all of the resources it needed because the U.S. Department of Energy denied ERCOT’s request for electricity generators to exceed emissions limits under federal permits.