The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC’s) 2023–2024 Winter Reliability Assessment (WRA) released earlier this month provides a comprehensive view of the potential challenges and readiness of the bulk power system (BPS) for the upcoming winter season.

This assessment is a crucial tool for informing industry leaders, planners, operators, and regulatory bodies about the potential risks and necessary actions to ensure reliable power supply during the winter months​​.

“This forecast again shows that our nation faces looming grid reliability challenges while demand for electricity continues to soar,” NERC CEO and former U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson said in a press release. “That’s unacceptable and should be cause for concern for all Americans. To avoid catastrophe, policymakers must recognize their role in threatening the reliability of the grid and take steps to help prevent rolling blackouts before it’s too late.”

Focus on the South

One of the key findings of the WRA is the risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions.

A significant portion of the North American BPS, including areas in the southern United States, is at risk because of prolonged cold snaps that can lead to high generator outages and increased demand, particularly from electric heating systems, according to the report.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator region, which has seen an increase in available resources through new wind and natural-gas-fired generation, remains vulnerable to extreme cold-weather events, particularly in its southern areas.

These events can cause high generator outages due to inadequate weatherization or insufficient natural gas fuel supplies​​, such as was seen during outages in 2022 just before Christmas.

Similarly, the regions covered by PJM Interconnection, SERC-East, and SERC-Central are also at risk of energy emergencies during severe cold-weather events.

Despite having adequate resources for normal winter conditions, these regions’ generators are susceptible to decreases in capacity and outages under extreme conditions​​.

The assessment also highlighted the critical role of generator fuel supplies, particularly natural gas, in ensuring winter electricity demand is met.

The interconnected nature of the natural gas and electric systems means that disruptions in one can have significant effects on the other.

This was notably observed during Winter Storm Elliott, when natural gas production declines led to wide-area electricity and natural gas shortages​​.

Last Winter

Winter Storm Elliott, which struck in December 2022, was a “once-in-a-generation storm” that brought unprecedented challenges in particular to southern portions of the country serviced by federal energy utility the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The storm affected most of the eastern continental United States, bringing heavy snowfall, high winds, and freezing rain, causing widespread travel disruptions and power outages​​.

The TVA, anticipating the storm, had developed a mid-term forecast and shared it with various teams to complete cold-weather readiness actions and winter readiness certification processes, according to a post-event report the agency released in May.

Despite these preparations, the storm’s speed, its intensity, and the resulting conditions exceeded the TVA’s forecasts and efforts.

The TVA system experienced its coldest average temperature since February 1996, with lows in major cities such as Nashville and Memphis dropping to 1 degree F. Energy demand surged, resulting in the highest 24-hour electricity demand supplied in the TVA’s history on Dec. 23​​, 2022, according to the report.

The TVA team worked to increase generation and meet the soaring demand. This involved dispatching units that weren’t previously in service and executing day-ahead, real-time, and emergency purchases.

Despite these efforts, the TVA faced significant challenges. Of its 232 generating units, 38 were negatively affected, mostly because instrumentation froze. This resulted in the TVA’s nuclear and hydro assets, which weren’t affected by the extreme weather, playing a crucial role in supporting energy demand during the event​​.

The severity and scale of Winter Storm Elliott led to decreased availability of TVA-owned and contracted electricity supply and decreases in imported electricity from neighboring markets. To maintain grid stability, the TVA was forced to implement emergency procedures, directing local power companies to reduce power demand, resulting in localized interruptions. This was the first time in the TVA’s 90-year history that such measures had to be taken​​.

NERC Recommendations

NERC states that coal, another vital fuel for electricity generation in winter, also faces challenges. Although generator owners report fewer coal supply issues than they had last winter, there are concerns about coal transportation, particularly in areas affected by drought conditions that could restrict coal availability and affect generator output​​, according to the report.

Another area of concern is the growing complexity in load forecasting during winter, the report says. The electrification of the heating sector and the increase in variable solar power resources add to the unpredictability of electricity demand, making it challenging to accurately forecast and plan for peak demand conditions​​.

Recommendations by the agency include reviewing seasonal operating plans, implementing cold-weather preparations, monitoring fuel supplies, and being prepared for potential reserve deficiencies.

Additionally, regulators are encouraged to support grid operators with environmental and transportation waivers and public appeals for energy conservation​​.

Events such as winter storms Uri in 2021 and Elliott in 2022 have underscored the need for improved cold-weather preparedness and coordination between generator owners and operators and BPS operators​​, the agency added.

The assessment stresses the importance of planning and coordination to address the various challenges that could affect the reliability of the electric grid in the southern United States during the winter to keep customers warm.

Large cities in New York, Illinois and Massachusetts have received thousands of migrants from the Southern border since 2021, when migrant crossings began to surge and Republican-led states sought to transport them to Democratic-led cities. The influx has overwhelmed the infrastructure in these cities, with officials now warning that they cannot provide housing to migrants amid cold winter temperatures and demanding federal funding to help, according to Politico.

“As the temperature starts to drop, it is crucial — now more than ever — that the federal government finish the job they started,” said Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Democratic Mayor Eric Adams of New York City, in a statement to Politico. “We need meaningful financial help and a national decompression strategy. New York City cannot continue to manage a national crisis almost entirely on its own.”

Happening Now: Hundreds out protesting a new migrant housing shelter in New York at the former St. John Villa Academy on Staten Island pic.twitter.com/rmTBFtOoGQ

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 28, 2023

City officials in New York have erected massive tent-based camps to house migrants, though these are unlikely to protect them against cold weather in months such as January, when the mean temperature is 33.7°F, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“I think for us it really is everything coming to bear at a time when the weather is really cold,” said Murad Awawdeh, the executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, to Politico.

New York officials have taken to offering migrants incentives to leave the city, such as one-way plane tickets to foreign countries with warmer climates, though migrants have reportedly rejected these offers because they desire to remain in the United States.

In Chicago, where Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has been criticized by residents for the influx of migrants, racial animus between black citizens and migrants from other countries is complicating efforts to help the latter prepare for the city’s winter, where the mean temperature is 25.6°F, according to the NOAA.

“Residents are seeing that after all this time of promising something for us, nothing has come of it. Now you have folks who have just come to this country, and they’re being serviced,” said Alderperson Ronnie Mosley, who represents the heavily black South Side of Chicago, to Politico.

Senior Democratic officials have vowed to support migrants, however, regardless of local opposition. “The state that took my ancestors in fleeing from pogroms in Ukraine will not allow asylum seekers to freeze to death on our doorsteps,” said Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Politico reported.

In Massachusetts, many homeless persons may access state-funded housing under a right-to-shelter law. However, after facilities were filled to capacity on Nov. 9, new applicants have been placed on waitlists, prompting concern among activists about the winter.

”I think that we’re going to see some very desperate situations,” said Andrea Park of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, to Politico.

Adams, Johnson and Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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The nation’s shrinking cattle herd combined with surging input costs at U.S. farms and ranches have pushed wholesale meat costs to over $8 per pound, official data shows. Analysts predict that the figure could jump above the $ 10 mark in December due to the seasonal spike in demand. As a comparison, beef costs in 2022 were hoovering around the ten-year average of $5 per pound. The rapid price appreciation means that you will have to pay double what you paid a year ago to bring your favorite cut home this winter.

In fact, meat inflation at U.S. stores can be even higher given that the USDA forecast was for wholesale prices, not consumer prices. Adding rising labor and transportation costs to the mix, a pound of ground beef could be selling for $8.99 next month. A pound of sirloin is expected to reach $14.00, while T-bone, and ribeye, can reach $15.39 and $21.99 per pound, respectively.

“Relative to other proteins, beef prices are likely to stay elevated for the next couple of years due to tighter supplies,” according to Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute sector manager Courtney Schmidt. “All consumers will be paying more for all beef products for several more years,” added Wells Fargo’s Chief Agricultural Economist Michael Swanson.

Retailers are already reporting leaner deliveries and falling meat supplies at stores. Ranchers, who would normally thrive on record prices, are instead struggling to maintain their business. Low rainfall in prime cattle-raising land is turning green pastures into dust fields. Limited supply and increasing costs are likely to cause changes in food service menu items. “The prices of menu items may go up, including burger patties, as businesses try to maintain their profit margins,” Wells Fargo’s Swanson said.

Fast food chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, and Shake Shack, are some of the biggest buyers of meat in the U.S. market. In 2024, they might have to conduct another round of price hikes to offset the rising cost of beef. These companies are also being encouraged to launch more plant-based alternatives to reduce their environmental footprint amid climate change.

In other words, we will have to get used to eating meat alternatives instead of the real thing. Beef is becoming a delicacy reserved only for the bourgeoisie. For now, this crisis will continue to add pressure on ranchers, restaurateurs, and average consumers. Until cattle numbers grow, input costs decline, and the economic storm abates, Americans will be forced to either change their diets or pay the price.

As per NERC’s “2023–2024 Winter Reliability Assessment” published November 8, a sweeping portion of the country that extends from Texas to the Canadian border is not adequately equipped for tough winter conditions. The report indicated that the power grid continues to fray and suffer from underinvestment, despite promises by politicians and regulators to shore it up following deadly blackouts in recent years. “As observed in recent winter reliability events, over 20 percent of generating capacity has been forced offline when freezing temperatures extend over parts of North America that are not typically exposed to such conditions,” the report alerted. “When electricity supplies become constrained, [bulk power system] operators can face a simultaneous sharp increase in demand.”

In a call, NERC told reporters that the grid has traditionally faced its greatest challenges in the summer heat but a confluence of factors in recent years has led the grid to be equally unstable during severe winter weather. “We’ve seen the system become more vulnerable to winter conditions,” said John Moura, NERC’s director of reliability assessment and performance analysis. “For decades, the system had been built and planned around summer peaks.” However, during summer this year, the non-profit also warned that two-thirds of the grid was actually at risk of experiencing summer outages during peak energy use. (Related: Warning: Two-thirds of the North American power grid is at an ELEVATED RISK of experiencing summer outages during peak demand.)

Back in February, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved new cold weather reliability standards for U.S. generators. NERC proposed the standards in response to Winter Storm Uri in 2021, which left almost 250 dead and made Texans face widespread blackouts. “Additional cold weather standards recently adopted by NERC’s Board have been filed for FERC approval,” Moura said in a statement. “This is a positive development in ensuring industry is prepared for extreme cold weather.”

Other issues NERC identified include the growing complexity of forecasting winter load and the curtailment of electricity transfers between reliability coordinators and balancing authorities. “While the curtailments alleviate an issue in one part of the system, curtailments can contribute to supply shortages or affect local transmission system operations in another area,” NERC said.

Meanwhile, as the grid continues to be unstable as winter season approaches, NERC warned Texas, –  where voters earlier this week approved a plan to fund more power generation – to be at higher risk of energy shortages this year than last. This is because it is not bringing enough new power online to meet the state’s surging demand, and its existing infrastructure has not been adequately weatherized.

Similar challenges plague areas north of the Lone Star state, according to the report. The regional grid that serves 15 states from Arkansas to Wyoming will be operating with significantly lower backup energy reserves than last year. NERC warned that while the region has the resources it needs to make it through a normal winter, extreme cold weather could “result in shortfalls that can trigger energy emergencies.”

The authors warned that a winter storm of similar scale in the region could result in a repeat of the outages that disrupted last year’s holiday season for millions. The report also concluded that power grid operators are struggling to bring on new generation and weatherize equipment at the pace required to meet the challenges of increased demand and the more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns created by climate change. “This forecast again shows that our nation faces looming grid reliability challenges while electricity demand continues to soar,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents 900 local electricity providers. “That’s unacceptable and should be cause for concern for all Americans.”

The looming grid disruption is due to neglect and not because of greenhouse gas emissions

According to Mark Spurr, legislative director at the International District Energy Association and president of engineering and consulting firm FVB Energy, a massive grid disruption is inevitable due to three trends that are “getting worse, not better.” He listed the increase in severe weather events due to climate change, rising peak electricity demand, and a growing dependence on natural gas.

“We’re thrilled to see NERC acknowledge what everyone already knows: failure of fossil-fueled power plants, especially gas-fired ones, during the winter, is the greatest threat to grid reliability today,” said Tom Rutigliano, senior advocate for the Sustainable FERC Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council. But he said that NERC’s focus on fuel supply risk “hides that the root cause is simply poor maintenance by power plant owners and the gas industry.” He further pointed out that grid operators must plan for the poor reliability gas plants have demonstrated time and again and hold non-performing plants accountable. “Congress should follow FERC’S recommendation to set reliability standards for the gas industry,” he added.

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association reportedly warned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-, gas- and oil-fired power plants could worsen the grid’s precarious situation. NERC’s reliability assessment showed that our “nation faces looming grid reliability challenges while electricity demand continues to soar,” Matheson said. EPA’s “unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable proposal will result in less electricity, more power outages and higher costs for American families and businesses.”

Visit PowerGrid.news for news related to America’s dwindling electric source.

Sources for this article include:

• MSN.com
• NERC.com
• Finance.Yahoo.com

Distillate inventories, which include heating oil, were about 15% below the five-year average as of late August, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. A chilly winter could drive heating bills up for Americans this winter, especially as higher demand from European countries and OPEC+ production cuts take hold in international markets, Reuters reported.

“We are living barrel to barrel and there is just no room for errors in the system,” Phil Flynn, analyst for the Price Futures Group, said, according to Reuters. “If we get a cold winter, there are going to be significant price shocks.”

American refiners have not built up large inventories of the distillate-rich varieties of oil in advance of the seasonal demand increase, driven by Americans looking to stay warm in their homes, according to Reuters. A central factor in this development is the lack of abundant supply of medium and heavy- grade crude oil that tend to be distillate-rich.

Meanwhile, OPEC+ has cut its production, and the U.S. has exported much of its excess supply to European allies as they grapple with the fallout from sanctioning Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to Reuters.

Indicating the market’s sensitivity, U.S. diesel futures temporarily spiked to a seven-month high on Aug. 25 following a fire at Marathon Petroleum’s 596,000 barrel per day (bpd) refining facility in Garyville, Louisiana, the third largest of its kind in the country, according to Reuters. Several large refining facilities are also scheduled to go offline temporarily for maintenance throughout the fall, which could remove 2 million bpd form the country’s 18.1 million bpd overall output, Robert Yawger, an analyst for Mizuho, told Reuters.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

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Areas like Texas, the Great Lakes region, New England, and North Carolina, are in the highest risk category, according to a report from the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC).

In the same analysis, the agency concluded that a “large portion” of the U.S. power grid is at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions.

Though climate change advocates claim severe weather events are the primary culprit, energy insiders say tight fuel supplies and an outdated electric grid play a critical role in potential blackouts.

Conservative estimates this year put the cost of critical power grid and infrastructure upgrades at $4 trillion with the use of supplemental nuclear power. Without nuclear energy, the price tag bumps up another $500 million dollars.

The administration of President Joe Biden approved a $13 billion stopgap measure to “modernize and expand” the power grid on Nov. 18. However, members of the energy community say it will take months or years for U.S. residents to see the difference.

Falling Behind

“There is a significant gap to upgrade aging grid infrastructure to meet net zero mandates and maintain reliability, and we are running out of time,” analyst Kim Getgen told The Epoch Times.

Getgen is the CEO and founder of Innovation Force, which tackles complex issues like America’s energy crisis. She says Biden’s infrastructure investment is a good start, but it’s exactly that, just a start.

“Upgrading aging infrastructure, system hardening, and resilience measures while complying with the evolving set of new cyber and physical security threats will require even more investment,” Getgen assessed.

She added that the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2021 Infrastructure Report Card gave the U.S. power grid a C- grade.

Getgen maintains a greater level of investment is needed, saying, “we can’t maintain the millions of miles of distribution and transmission lines that deliver the power, and we can’t harness the potential of renewable clean power.”

And though upgrades are crucial, some energy specialists say the U.S. electrical grid won’t become efficient overnight. Or even by next winter.

“It’s important to remember that something as complex as the electricity grid takes time to change,” director of energy studies at the University of Florida, Ted Kury, told The Epoch Times.

Working in the university’s Public Utility Research Center, Kury says the regulatory process for new utility projects moves slowly, no matter how much money is thrown at it.

“It’s a process with numerous safeguards, but that also means it takes more time. It’s reasonable to think that we’ll start seeing impacts in the next few years,” he explained.

Senior consultant in risk management at Customized Energy Solutions, Eric Hendrick, agreed with Kury’s assessment.

“Given the politics involved in any legislation, it’ll take some time before any of these funds trickle down to the states that need the funds,” Hendrick told The Epoch Times.

During a press statement, the director of reliability assessment for NERC, John Moura, explained there are “more areas at risk” of blackouts this winter amid power generation and fuel supply challenges.

The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, also noted in a November brief that 70 percent of the nation’s power grid is more than 25 years old.

Grid upgrades aside, strained natural gas and coal supplies are also, quite literally, fueling higher power outage risks.

Fuel Factor

Not only are millions of Americans facing a greater risk of losing power this winter, they’ll also be paying higher energy bills.

Homes that run on natural gas can expect to pay 28 percent more. For those using heating oil, a 27 percent price spike is expected, and a 10 percent increase is likely for households that rely on electricity alone for heat.

This is due to a combination of higher market prices and demand, according to an Energy Information Administration analysis.

And with the continued push toward Biden’s net zero energy goals, an additional 11,778 megawatts of coal generation was retired in 2022. Meanwhile, the demand burden has shifted heavily onto natural gas, which is already suffering supply issues.

“This problem will be difficult to address in the short term … keep in mind gas storage is currently 89 BCF below last year’s level and 86 BCF below the
five-year average,” Hendrick said.

He added that low levels of natural gas storage and a lack of transportation infrastructure in the northeastern United States would likely create “volatile scenarios” with just 10 to 12 days of colder than normal weather.

Nevertheless, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission predicts a 24 percent increase in net natural gas exports for the 2022-2023 withdrawal season.

And then there’s the coal conundrum. With fewer generating facilities and sporadic supply chain disruptions in 2022, NERC asserts that coal has “limited stocks and resupply uncertainty” this winter.

Kury says 2021 saw a spike in coal consumption for electrical power. This year has seen an overall decrease in demand, but it doesn’t shore up with diminished reserves.

“It’s still impacting coal stockpiles at power plants,” Kury said.

“When you also consider that coal is delivered by rail, and rail transportation has been impacted by labor disputes, it reinforces the need to get more fuel to power plants.”

Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.

The only thing we don’t have a shortage of is more authoritarian government. Our dystopian future is forming before our eyes as DC plunges us deeper into debt both as a nation as well as for individuals and families. It’s all leading us toward “necessary” centralization of monetary control through central bank digital currencies. They don’t want to force most Americans to accept the Digital Dollar. They want a majority to be begging for them.

The easiest people to control are those who ask to be controlled. Readers of my articles and listeners of my shows are generally adamantly opposed to being controlled, expanding government, or embracing the various public-private partnerships that are popping up in every industry. But we’re a dwindling minority. No, that’s not to say that a majority of Americans are budding Neo-Marxists. Our problem isn’t with ideology. Our problem is with passion. Even many who oppose such things as CBDCs will not fight by our side against them. They’ll begrudgingly accept them because everyone else is. The herd mentality, even among most individualists and patriots, is becoming all-too common.

It’s as if many if not most conservatives have given up. This is by design.

On today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show, I dove into three articles that highlight various challenges that we’re suddenly facing. They’re not really “sudden,” of course; all of these things are part of long-standing plans that have been trickling out for years, even decades. The problem is we weren’t ready to fight them in their infancy and now that they’re becoming full-blown realities, most of us are struggling just to feed our families. This, too, is by design.

The final article I covered, which is posted below, highlights the hope that Brandon Smith at Alt-Market has for a potential happy ending. I don’t completely agree with his assessments, but I support many of the notions he posted. Perhaps I’m too cynical, but I don’t see a political solution to any of this. The midterms were the last chance to slow the bleeding. With the red tsunami thwarted through massive, widespread voter fraud, it’s time to find our solutions in We the People and, of course, our only true savior in Jesus Christ. Here is today’s show followed by Brandon’s article…

Is the American Pendulum Swinging Back to Reason? Maybe, but It Will Be a Long Fight

It should be considered an embarrassment for the states and districts involved, but the 2022 midterm elections are still being counted as I write this. In some cases, ballot drop boxes, mail-in ballots and “malfunctioning” voting machines have created a suspicious fog of uncertainty, and the uncertainty always seems to work in the favor of the political left.

Needless to say, some kind of change needs to happen – The majority of Americans are aware that ongoing trends of national deconstruction cannot be allowed to continue. Even the people that refrain from voting are watching the elections, just to see if the momentum of the country has shifted even a little. And, many people who tend to refrain are on the independent/libertarian side of things.

Times change and circumstances evolve, even if some people are too bitter or jaded to see it. The old guard Neocons trained in the Chicago school by Leo Strauss along with the acolytes of Irving Kristol are losing favor among conservative voters and many are dying out. The era of Bush family politics is going extinct; they were never conservative anyway.

What is left behind is a kind of philosophical stew – A mixture of libertarians, independents, Republicans and patriots that don’t necessarily affiliate with every aspect of the GOP but they will vote for a candidate with a strong stance against the woke propaganda and globalism of the political left. That’s what they are looking for.

For example, Ron DeSantis and his epic win in Florida shows us that the GOP is now being forced to address real conservative issues and concerns, whether they like it or not. Because if they want to win big like DeSantis they will have to start promoting the same policies and arguments as DeSantis. Republican candidates that don’t will not succeed, at least nowhere near the same level.

Many people assume that Trump was the impetus for this new wave of conservatives which has abandoned the Neocon coup. But in reality, the wave started at least a decade ago and we are only now beginning to see the results. Trump rode the wave, he didn’t create it.

Despite the claims of the mainstream media, there was indeed a red wave this year, but at the state level and in terms more subtle.

I consider keeping my own state red a matter of urgency. Montana conservatives recently witnessed what happens when we get lazy about voting leftists out of power. Our governor at the beginning of the covid event was Steve Bullock, a Democrat posing as a “middle of the road” pro-gun, pro-freedom guy. But when the federal government’s calls for mandates hit, Bullock followed right along with all other blue state politicians in trying to enforce unconstitutional restrictions and was incredibly malicious towards groups questioning such policies.

In 2020, we booted him out of office and most Democrats along with him. We learned our lesson – Keep the state red because in the event of crisis these people will exploit the situation to steal power and assert dominance.

I’ve had a lot of folks tell me over the years that voting is irrelevant and that conservative leaders at the state and county level would fold and submit to the whims of the feds when the time came for our liberties to be stripped away. These people were wrong.

The time did come; the pandemic was the perfect opportunity for establishment authoritarians to take all that was left of our freedoms forever. They certainly tried with all the tools available to them, including the controlled corporate media, big tech social media platforms, federal bureaucracy, etc. We passed within a short breath of full-spectrum tyranny.

The covid cult failed and they failed because red states across the country refused to comply, from the voters to the politicians. Conservative state leaders did not “fold” as many predicted, which means there is a chance to fight back on a level beyond defending our front porches with guns in hand.

At the very least, the actions of red states have bought us more time, and that is a precious commodity in an era of quickly escalating crisis. The situation is not quite as dire as I believed many years ago, and not as definitive as many liberty activists believe now. The end is not nigh. Our efforts are having an effect.

Am I putting blind faith in the elections? No. But there is valuable information to be derived from the elections and some of it tells a story of a country battling back from the brink of progressive insanity. Here are just a few factors to consider after the midterms:

Conservatives Were Out In Force

While the media constantly mentions a higher turnout for young voters this season, the real news is that conservatives had at least 3.5 million more voters overall than Democrats. Since the leftists are so fond of majority rule, it is interesting to point out the separation in active voters.

It is also odd that Democrats continue to declare “victory” in 2022 given they lost control of the House of Representatives. How can they declare a win when they came out the other side of the election with less than they had before?

Florida Sweep

Ron DeSantis crushed leftists in Florida based on a very vocal anti-woke, anti-establishment platform. He proved that this is what Americans want. Not middle of the road, not riding the fence or trying to be diplomatic, but remaining steadfast and uncompromising in the face of irrational zealotry and underhanded agendas.

Some people in the liberty movement have their complaints about DeSantis, but what I’m looking at is results and he has done more to stop the woke agenda in his state than any other state government in the country. He also stood firm against covid authoritarianism. Results are what matter most.

The “Blue Invasion” Threat Was A Lie

All the wailing and screaming I heard over the past two years about leftists relocating into red states during covid and changing the demographics was complete nonsense. I’ve been saying since the pandemic began – Leftists don’t move away from their hive and they aren’t taking over red states, at least not in the past few years. The latest midterms prove that the fear of “blue invasion” was pure paranoia. If anything, in Montana we saw far more conservatives escaping blue states to live somewhere they felt was safe.

After this election I don’t want to hear another half-baked theory about the Dems turning Texas or Florida or other strong red states to the dark side.

The Abortion “Blue Wave” Never Happened

Remember after the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade the number of media outlets proclaiming that conservatives would be destroyed during the elections? Apparently, average Americans are not as concerned with the “right” to kill babies as they had assumed. States that have moved to ban abortion are not facing a blue wave and these laws will most likely remain in place.

This fact upends a long running narrative in the mainstream than any attempt to stop abortion is doomed to failure and that any political candidate that supports banning abortion would be soundly defeated. The narrative was merely a scare tactic to create a false consensus.

Ballot Harvesting And Mail-In Options Always Favor Democrats

One could debate the reasons why, but the Democrat tactic of relying on non-traditional voting methods always works in their favor. There is also the issue of potential voter fraud when it comes to mail-in ballots and ballot harvesting, as we are currently seeing investigated by the Attorney General of Arizona. The only way to be sure that such sabotage does not occur is to do what Florida did and require most voters to appear at polls in person.

In battleground states where this is not an option, it would seem that conservatives are going to have to learn the ballot harvesting game that Democrats play and use the tactic against them.

Americans Place The Economy Above All Other Concerns

Regardless of how the elections pan out, public polling before the midterms consistently revealed that the majority of Americans are worried about inflation and economic decline above all else, and the social issues that leftists typically run on are at the bottom of the list.

This means that the longer the economic crisis goes on the more Dems in power will be questioned about their solutions. It is perhaps ironic that leftists are so keen to hold onto government control when they are only going to continue to take the bulk of the blame for the continuing economic fallout.

They have no plan, and they don’t intend to do anything about it except spend more money they don’t have, which is what caused the crisis in the first place. At least conservative candidates are acknowledging the threat; leftists still refuse to admit the threat exists.

I believe the economic danger will continue to grow, and there is little that can be done about it with Democrats still clinging to the Senate and with Biden in the White House. Which means the work will fall to individual states to protect themselves from the shock. I suspect that in the end red states will survive while blue states implode.

Is our cultural pendulum swinging back to reason? Yes, I see signs of it everywhere, but the fight ahead is going to be long and arduous. It’s not just the globalists that we have to contend with, it’s the woke activists and useful idiots within our population that need to be diminished. It took decades for us to get to the terrible spot we are in as a society and it will most likely take decades to get us out of it. That said, there is hope. Over time this fight can be won and there are many millions of us at the ready.  If we can’t stop the current crash, we can at least determine who will rebuild.

Germany has been scrambling with rising energy costs for months, which it has blamed on Russia throttling the influx of gas supplies coming into Europe. Moscow, in turn, has blamed energy prices on Western sanctions. (Related: Energy prices in Germany soar 1,000% as companies go bankrupt.)

According to German market research company Growth From Knowledge (GFK), over 958,000 heaters have been sold in the country since the beginning of 2022. The volume of electric heater sales from January to August has jumped by 76 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.

GFK noted that the overall volume of electric heater sales for the five largest economies in Europe – Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Italy, respectively – actually decreased by 5.1 percent, strongly suggesting that the consumer habits of Germans are bucking the trend.

“Value growth from January to August 2022 was only driven by massive growth in Germany. All other markets show a negative result in value and volume for January to August 2022 compared with the same period of the previous year,” said GFK in a statement.

Too many electric heaters could overburden Germany’s power grid

The German Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW) warned that a potential consequence of too many households relying on electric heaters is that it raises the possibility of blackouts due to too much strain on the power grid.

“Heaters can overload the power grids, for example, when many households in a district turn on their heaters at the same time on a cold winter evening,” warned BDEW.

The association noted that households will still have access to heating in the event of a gas shortage. Households, like hospitals, police stations and fire brigade facilities, have priority during gas shortages according to the law.

“We are in a very tense situation, but scaremongering is not going to help us here. Private households are among the protected customers,” said BDEW.

A spokesperson from Stadtwerke Bonn, a public energy and transport utility company, emphasized in a statement that private households and critical infrastructure “would be the last to be affected” by restrictions implemented during gas shortages.

The spokesperson added that people should buy electric blankets instead of purchasing energy-intensive electric heaters. Electric blankets require only a fraction of the power while still providing warmth.

Government trying to get households, businesses to reduce energy consumption

In a radio interview, German Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck noted that the country is in an “extremely tense situation” right now due to the energy crisis.

“If we don’t save, if households don’t reduce consumption, we still risk not having enough gas in the winter,” he said.

The Federal Network Agency, the government agency responsible for gas rationing in case of a shortage, earlier said in a statement that household consumption remains too high to be sustainable.

The agency’s president, Klaus Mueller, called for “sustained austerity efforts,” warning both households and businesses that gas consumption in the past few weeks was “well above” consumption levels in prior years, calling the figures “sobering.”

“Without significant cutbacks in the private sector, it will be difficult to avoid a gas shortage in winter,” he said. He added that curtailing consumption would still be needed even if winter wasn’t coming. He also warned that even if households and businesses decrease consumption, there’s no guarantee of a “sure-fire” way of preventing gas shortages.

Mueller said these three conditions must be met for the country to get through the winter: Germany must import more natural gas; the gas supplies of Germany’s neighbors must remain stable; and each individual must drastically cut back on gas consumption.

Learn more about the energy crisis gripping Europe at NewEnergyReport.com.

Watch this clip from Next News Network as Aldo Buttazzoni discusses the coming German power grid collapse – and who is to blame for it.

This video is from the channel News Clips on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

• Thousands of German protesters declare: “Without Russian gas, our economy will be dead!”
• Germany to nationalize struggling energy firm Uniper amid worsening financial crisis.
• Bakery owners in Germany protest sky-high energy bills amid worsening energy crisis in Europe.
• Energy collapse: First blackout simulation in German district predicts 400 deaths in 96 hours.
• Germans sound alarm as skyrocketing energy bills overwhelm their monthly budgets.

Sources include:

• TheEpochTimes.com
• DW.com
• Brighteon.com
• NATURAL NEWS

There are two important things to know before reading this. First, it’s easy for America First patriots to lament hardships abroad but not be too concerned about them because they’re really none of our business. What’s being described as an energy collapse in Germany and across Europe is one that will DEFINITELY have a major impact on the United States if it happens. We cannot ignore this just because it does not directly affect us yet.

The second important note is that this simulation underestimates the impact of the “dark winter” they describe. If it is even partially accurate regarding the turmoil that would arise, they can’t really believe there would only be 400 deaths in the area in question in the first 96 hours. Moreover, the death toll in the days and weeks following a collapse would reach tens of thousands, perhaps more, as the cascading crises compound one another. This is why we’re so bullish about stocking up on food and moving investments or retirement to precious metals as soon as possible. Here’s Lance’s article…

The German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) are now warning about a catastrophe that doomsday preppers have long prepared for: blackouts and civil unrest. Thanks to European leaders’ knee-jerk sanctions against Russia and Europe’s hasty implementation of green energy policies, the European people will have to pay insane energy costs and live under the constant threat of blackouts, especially during the upcoming winter months.

Municipalities in Germany are gearing up for a dark winter of blackouts. The Hessian Rheingau-Taunus district hired a company to simulate and analyze the most pertinent threats in the event of a blackout this winter. The simulation predicts that 400 deaths are inevitable inside the district in just the first 96 hours. If temperatures drop, the deaths will be much more catastrophic, especially for the elderly.

The Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services (BPA) warn that “this crisis will cost some providers their existence because the burdens from rising energy costs, general inflation and the omnipresent shortage of skilled workers can no longer be borne.” Retirement homes and nursing homes will be “threatened to an unprecedented extent.”

German municipalities preparing for blackouts this winter

DStGB chief executive Germ Landsberg said that hacker attacks have always been a threat to the grid, but this year “there is a risk of a blackout” based on “an overload of the power grid.” He pointed out that 650,000 fan heaters were sold this year. If the gas supply fails and all these heaters are connected to the electric grid at once, a blackout could likely occur. The district is making preparations to consolidate energy for civil protection services and to ensure that electricity is available for servers and satellite supported communication systems.

In the first twenty-four hours of German blackout, substations would fail and water tanks would run dry, causing an entirely new set of problems. Livestock would quickly die. Looting and arson would contribute to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages within the first day. In just two days, most cell phones would be inoperable. People would panic quickly. Violence would overtake the streets. District fire inspector Christian Rossel is warning Germans to prepare by getting a 14-day supply of food and drinking water.

The German government’s €65 billion financial aid package will attempt to offset some of the high energy costs, but at the end of the day, the government cannot print energy. If the energy is not there and the grid is overwhelmed, no amount of money will bring the lights and the heat back on. German economist Jörg Krämer said that the government’s plan only “create[s] the illusion that large parts of the population can be protected from the consequences of rising energy prices.”

Germany is not the only country facing a potential dark winter. France’s Reseau de Transport d’Electricite warned citizens that they will be asked several times this winter to cut back on their electricity usage. Finland is also warning citizens about upcoming outages and telling everyone to prepare.

The European Commission is taking action now, with new regulations that call on all European governments to cut electricity usage by 10 percent. The regulations include a mandatory 5 percent reduction during peak hours. Germany’s businesses are now paying electricity prices that are 1,000% higher than normal, and many businesses are currently collapsing due to the high energy costs.

Stay up-to-date with the collapse in Europe at Preparedness.News.

Sources include:

• FreeWestMedia.com
• Bloomberg.com
• Whatsupwiththat.com
• NaturalNews.com
• NATURAL NEWS

If you’re worried about how you’re going to keep your family warm during a power outage, invest in a wood-burning stove or get a kerosene heater and stock up on fuel before SHTF. (h/t to SurvivalCache.com)

The survival “Rule of Threes”

Beginner preppers often start their prepping journey by learning about the “Rule of Threes.” According to the Rule of Threes, you can survive:

• Three minutes without air
• Three hours without shelter
• Three days without water
• Three weeks without food

The timeframes for these rules are not absolute, but if you’re confused, the order of the rules will help you prioritize your needs. The version of the rule above is more about temperature regulation than shelter.

When SHTF, remember that you can only survive for three hours “without maintaining core body temperature.” Lengthy exposure to the cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, which can cause your body temperature to rapidly decrease, leading to hypothermia.

Signs and symptoms of hypothermia include:

• Clumsiness or lack of coordination
• Confusion or memory loss
• Drowsiness or very low energy
• Loss of consciousness
• Shivering
• Slow, shallow breathing
• Slurred speech or mumbling
• Weak pulse

Safety tips when using alternative heat sources

Before you start deciding which alternative method to use to stay warm during a power outage, follow the tips below to avoid accidents when SHTF.

Avoid sweating

If possible, avoid hard physical labor that can make you sweat in cold weather. This is dangerous because sweating in cold conditions may be deadly.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurs when you burn biomass and fuels without proper ventilation. Exposure to CO can cause unconsciousness and even death.

Make sure you only burn fuel or gas in a well-ventilated area or room to prevent CO poisoning. You should also have battery-operated carbon monoxide detectors in your home that are functioning properly.

Fire safety

When using certain heat sources, there may be a risk for an uncontrolled fire to break out. Always prioritize fire safety when using a heat source like space heaters or a non-electric heater.

This means:

• Making sure the heat source can’t fall over.
• Keeping all flammable materials away from the heat.
• Knowing where you store fuel in relation to the heater.
• Having several methods for extinguishing an uncontrolled fire, like fire extinguishers.

Make sure rooms are properly ventilated

Make sure the area is well-ventilated when sheltering in closed spaces.

Even in cold weather, you can’t completely seal yourself off because you need a source of fresh air. If you’re closing the hatch when the temperatures drop, leave a window cracked open.

Alternative heat sources to use during a power outage

Before SHTF, consider some of the options detailed below so you can stay warm even when there’s a power outage.

Alcohol heater

An alcohol heater is usually small and lightweight, and can burn different fuels, making it a great emergency heating source. Additionally, alcohol is a relatively cheap and available fuel that you can buy from most big box stores or hardware stores.

You can use different types of alcohol with this kind of stove, but it’s best to use denatured alcohol because it burns the cleanest, making it safer to use indoors. Be careful with an alcohol stove since it produces flames that are nearly invisible.

Body heat

This emergency heat source has two variations.

1. Using the body heat of other people is an effective way to stay warm. The best way to do this is to have your family get as close as possible and cover yourselves with an insulating layer like a blanket in one room.
2. You can also use the body heat of animals when SHTF. Certain animals, like dogs, have an internal temperature that runs a little higher than humans. This means humans generally have a temperature of 98.6 F while a dog’s normal temperature can be several degrees above that. If the power goes out and you feel cold, cuddle with your pet dog or other friendly domesticated animals to stay warm.

Clothing

Wearing weather-appropriate clothing is crucial because your body is your primary source of heat. If the weather is cold, avoid wearing cotton. Once cotton gets wet, it loses its insulating ability.

Choose wool, which can be a bit expensive but is very durable. Even if wool clothing gets wet, its ability to insulate remains very high.

Wear wool socks to stay warm and put on a pair of gloves, a scarf and a hat. Covering these body parts will help prevent heat loss.

Wear several layers. You can peel off layers if it starts to feel warm.

Exercise

When SHTF and you lose all access to any kind of heat source, you can still stay warm with exercise since it is a great way to increase your body temperature.

While sweating in cold temperatures should be avoided, there is a trick to exercising to stay warm. Don’t exert yourself for long periods like you would during a normal exercise session since this will make you sweat.

Instead, work large muscle groups slowly, take a break, then repeat the process. Squats and pushups are good options because they target large muscle groups.

Electric heaters

Electric space heaters use electricity to heat internal coils, which provides radiant heat. Note that if you want to use electric space heaters, you also need a backup power supply.

This device requires a lot of energy to operate, so you need something more powerful than small-scale solar and wind systems. Get small or whole-home generators instead.

Fireplace

Many homes have a fireplace that is perfect for staying warm even without electricity. But most fireplaces aren’t efficient because most of the heat goes up and out the chimney flue.

If you don’t have another option, use a fireplace to stay warm.

Hand warmers

Hand warmers are a quick and easy way to keep parts of your body warm.

There are two different kinds of hand warmers: non-electric and electric.

Non-electric heaters come in a packet and consist of a chemical mixture that generates heat when activated. These types of hand warmers are cheap and you can easily find them at sporting goods stores, big box stores or hardware stores.

Electric heaters are little devices that can be used to charge other devices or as a hand warmer. If you don’t have electricity, you will need an alternative power source to charge it, like a generator or solar panels.

Kerosene heater

A kerosene heater needs kerosene as a liquid fuel. When ignited, kerosene produces an open flame enclosed within the frame of the heater.

Due to the nature of the fuel being used and the open flame, some kerosene heaters have an accidental tip over shutoff mechanism. This safety feature will extinguish the flame if the heater becomes unstable to prevent an uncontrolled fire. (Related: Survival tips: How to live without electricity like the Amish.)

Outdoor fire

Outdoor fires can help a large group stay warm, but the downside is a lot of the warm air from the fire itself is lost to the surrounding area.

To create a better heating system, set up a heat reflector around the fire by building a small wooden fence. This will help radiate some of the heat back to you.

Pellet stoves

Pellet stoves are similar to wood stoves, but the former are usually smaller and can be more expensive. But pellet stoves burn quite clean, work efficiently and generate a lot of heat.

Instead of firewood, you only need recycled sawdust and wood compressed into small pellets.

Propane heater

A propane heater can provide heat during an outage and they are portable like a traditional space heater. Propane heaters typically use small bottles of propane that attach right to the heater.

Rocket mass heater

A rocket mass heater is a type of rocket stove that operates similarly to a rocket stove but on a larger scale. Pair a rocket mass heater with a ventilation system for a very effective indoor heater.

Tea candles

Even small candles are effective at warming small spaces if you don’t have other heat sources.

While you can use several tea candles to keep an average-sized room warm, you shouldn’t use this method if you are going to sleep. It’s much safer to heat a room with candles using several clay pots.

Wood-burning stove

Unlike a fireplace, where most of the heat is lost through the chimney, wood-burning stoves contain the entire fire, allowing them to retain heat in the room more effectively.

If it has a flat surface on top, you can also use a wood-burning stove for cooking food or boiling water. However, a wood-burning stove will also require firewood.

Before disaster strikes during winter, choose a method that doesn’t rely on the grid so you can keep your family warm even during a power outage. Always exercise caution when using heating devices with open flames.

Watch the video below for tips on how to charge solar batteries using a generator.

This video is from the Solar Surge channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

• Survival essentials: 9 Stealthy ways to cook after SHTF.
• Prepper must-haves: What to stock up on before a summer or winter power outage.
• Emergency preparedness: 10 Ways to heat your home after SHTF.

Sources include:

• SurvivalCache.com
• ModernSurvivalBlog.com
• CDC.gov
• Brighteon.com
• NATURAL NEWS