Super Bowl blackout could add momentum to energy policy, lawmaker says

The Super Bowl blackout could provide the momentum for energy policy like the Hispanic vote has done for immigration reform, according to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

“This issue of immigration: Why are we all focused on that? Well, it’s because the Republicans lost the election because in part we did not have the Hispanic community behind us,” Murkowski said Monday. “What is it that brings about that motivation? Maybe it could be something like a gap in the Super Bowl causes the focus on energy that we need to have. I can only hope.”

Judging by the discourse on Capitol Hill on Monday, it doesn’t appear the blackout is having any substantive impact on momentum for much of anything policy-related—at least not yet.

During Sunday’s Super Bowl game played in New Orleans, the power to the stadium went out for 34 minutes. The outage was reportedly caused by an “abnormality” of the electrical system, operated by Entergy, according to company and stadium officials quoted in articles.

In unveiling her blueprint for energy policy recommendations Monday, Murkowski said the game’s electricity woes helped her put into context her report.

“I really didn’t have an idea when that game first started how 34 minutes was going to help me tell the energy story,” Murkowski said at a press conference. “I know it delayed the game a little bit, but it was sure helpful from the perspective of letting Americans know how important energy is in their daily worlds.”