FOSSILIZED THINKING:

"The Tennessee Valley Authority's coal and gas plants failed us over the holiday weekend. People across the Tennessee Valley were forced to deal with rolling blackouts, even as temperatures plunged into the single digits," Southern Environmental Law Center Tennessee Office Director Amanda Garcia said in an email. "Despite this obvious failure, the federal utility is still planning to spend billions to build new gas plants and pipelines."

TVA provides power to 10 million people in parts of seven Southern states. The federal utility issued a statement on Wednesday saying it takes full responsibility for the rolling blackouts on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, just as many customers were preparing for Christmas.

"We are conducting a thorough review of what occurred and why. We are committed to sharing these lessons learned and - more importantly - the corrective actions we take in the weeks ahead to ensure we are prepared to manage significant events in the future," the statement read.

The utility was already facing scrutiny for its recommendation to replace some aging coal-burning power plants with natural gas, instead of renewables and energy conservation measures -- like solar, wind, heat pumps and LEDs.

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