FERC approved two cold weather reliability standards for emergency operations and extreme cold weather preparedness operations, to address unprecedented power outages due to extreme cold weather, particularly in the South Central U.S. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) proposed these recommendations following an inquiry into the 2021 Winter Storm Uri. The storm left millions of people without electricity and access to water in Texas and southern central parts of the U.S., but the burden was disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities.