The Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order authorizing Southwest Power Pool Inc. to use certain energy resources to reduce the risk of potential blackouts, according to a July 21 statement from the department. He also permitted the grid operator to deploy backup generation resources as a last resort before issuing an Energy Emergency Alert. Wright said the previous administration's policies weakened the U.S. power grid, leaving Americans vulnerable during emergency events. High TemperaturesThe emergency alerts issued by power grid operators came amid intense heat in parts of the United States. In a Jan. 13 post, nonprofit organization Climate Central said that 2025 was the fourth-hottest year on record for the contiguous United States.