The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair on Thursday said the agency must be “ever vigilant” as storms fueled by climate change continue to batter the electric grid.
FERC Chair Willie Phillips said while he doesn’t discuss climate change often, recent hurricanes — both because of their toll on human lives and the restoration of power to millions of people — underscore the importance of maintaining a reliable grid.
“We have to take serious our obligation and responsibility to ensure reliability and resilience of our bulk power system,” Phillips told reporters after the commission’s monthly open meeting.
Communities and electric utilities in the Southeast are recovering after Hurricane Helene late last month made landfall in northern Florida, then swept across Georgia, the Carolinas and eastern Tennessee. Hurricane Milton, which struck south of Tampa Bay and made its way across the state, left more than 3 million people without electricity.