February 1, 2026 - U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito delivered a Senate floor speech highlighting the critical role that dispatchable baseload power—including coal, natural gas and nuclear energy—played in keeping 200 million Americans safe and warm during this week’s major winter storm.

Capito, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, pointed to data from PJM Interconnection showing that 90 percent of the power load during peak winter demand came from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

Shelley Moore Capito

“Americans expect that our country’s energy policy will result in affordable and reliable electricity so that they can keep their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter.”

The Energy Mix Matters

Capito’s data showed that at 8am Tuesday during peak demand, fossil fuels and nuclear provided 89.6 percent of PJM’s power, while wind, solar and hydroelectric sources provided only a small fraction—and intermittently at that.

“Solar energy disappears during the overnight hours when it is coldest. Wind power produced more on Friday but virtually disappears from the chart on Saturday.”

While Capito supports renewables as part of the energy mix, she emphasized the importance of reliable baseload power during extreme weather events.

Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill

Capito also discussed her work as chair of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, highlighting a bipartisan bill that decreases spending by $3.2 billion compared to FY2025 while investing in key priorities:

• Biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health
• Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s and cancer research
• Rural health care programs
• Substance abuse prevention and treatment
• Workforce development and apprenticeship programs

“This bill is important to our country, but it is also critically important for West Virginia.”