After '1,000-year' storm in Dallas, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott chooses not to mention 'climate change'

A day after a “1-in-1,000-year” storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in Dallas, triggering flash floods that submerged vehicles along a highway and left at least one person dead, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday said that the state is prepared to handle “extreme weather.”

But he wouldn’t use the term climate change.

At a press conference alongside Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and other city officials, Abbott was pressed by a reporter about the impact climate change is having on Texas, including record heat, wildfires and historic drought.

“At what point do you ever discuss or have a conversation about climate change?” the reporter asked.

“So we have constant conversations about what we categorize as extreme weather,” Abbott replied. “We are dealing with more extreme weather patterns.”

Abbott noted the period between April through the end of July was the hottest on record in the history of Texas, and said that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s power grid, was able to handle it.

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks. 

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas at a news conference in Dallas on Tuesday. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“They were able to deal with a dozen record usage demands with ease,” he said.

“We’re constantly looking at what extreme weather may lead to, whether it be power demand, extreme heat, extreme cold, heavy water or even drought,” the governor added. “We constantly focus on issues related to extreme weather, and we want to be prepared for whatever type of weather may be coming our way.”

"Can you even say climate change?" the reporter asked.

Abbott did not respond.

An abandoned car sits in floodwaters on a highway in Dallas on Monday. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

An abandoned car sits in floodwaters on a highway in Dallas on Monday. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Despite the governor’s assertions, ERCOT has not always been ready to handle the extreme weather stemming from climate change.

In February 2021, when extremely cold temperatures arrived in much of Texas, the utility was unable to keep pace with surging demand.

“Nearly 4 million Texas customers — representing more than 11 million people — lost power during the Arctic blast,” as 38 of Texas’ 176 gas processing plants shut down due to weather conditions, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported. Hundreds of Texans died from lack of access to heat or water.