The White House linked a severe winter storm that gripped Texas and surrounding states with climate changes, denying claims by Texas officials that green energy was the cause of massive power outages, Reuters reported.

The crisis in the largest oil and gas producing state in the United States has exacerbated the tensions between the Joe Biden administration and Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who initially did not recognize Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

Abbott ordered government officials to counter Biden's efforts to combat climate change.

White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall said more than 1 million people are still suffering from power outages caused by the hurricane. She believes the cause of the crisis is climate change, which some Republican officials in the affected states deny or downplay.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki noted that the Texas agency, which operates the state's power system, said solar and wind power outages were the least significant factor in power outages. Psaki said publications that said otherwise were inaccurate.