As someone living in California I am coming to believe that these power outages are being used as a political weapon.
How is it we have had power for a hundred years only now do they discover they need to turn off the power to a million customers because it is windy?
At one time there were Forest Fire Towers in wooded areas but they were phased out. Would it not be cheaper to create even on a temporary bases fire watches in populated areas?
Perhaps even having planes in the air on the look out for fires when they start and call in a strike team to put them out.
I am beginning to think that the power outages are going to cost more in damages then fires would.
PG&E is punishing the public by turning off the power.
It’s a joke. My European relatives have been laughing at us for 20 years with these stupid above ground electricity wires. In some places it is necessary, but even in earthquake country we could do underground in most spots.
Our roads suck, our infrastructure sucks, we have sacred homeless pooping and gathering rats and drugs on our streets. How to Third World Your State Instantly.
PG&E is being held responsible for a fire that burned down an entire city. They cannot afford to let it happen again. They did not write the regulations that caused the forests to be choked by vegetation that fuels small fires making them very large very fast. Look how many and how big the fires are that are burning right now. But PG&E can’t be blamed for them which they very well could have if they were not doing something to prevent them.
Perhaps even having planes in the air on the look out for fires when they start and call in a strike team to put them out.”””
Let me take you back to the days of Bill Clinton in the White House & his Secretary of the Interior.....who was a 4th generation rancher from New Mexico.
Clinton & that Sec of the Interior shut down the US FOREST roads-—called it the ‘ROADLESS POLICY” and put up expensive, massive gates at the entrances of those forests. They also dug large holes right behind those gates to prevent anyone from entering with a vehicle. Holes big enough to drop a school bus into. I have seen them. NO JOKE>
Ever since, firefighters CAN NOT get into the forests to stop a fire when it is small. The ONLY way to get them in is by plane...and there are not that many “Hot Shots’ who parachute into a fire & try to stop it.
They both also filled up all the Interior/Forest Service/BLM
departments with Enviros who want Mother Nature to run things.
“As someone living in California I am coming to believe that these power outages are being used as a political weapon.”
Pet theory: forcing people to turn to local renewable energy sourcing.
Were I in CA and not inclined to leave, I’d be installing 100% solar/battery last week. I’m no “environmentalist” (though conservationist inclinations), but more practical survivalist: if the grid is proven unreliable, absolutely must get own power/etc generation ability.
Likewise, I expect a very large number of current & prospective homeowners soon clamoring for home or local solar/wind/nuke/hydro/etc power sourcing. I’ve long wished it a social norm (like mortgages) that homes have at least a minimal baseline electric generation, if not practically >100%. Water collection & storage should be considered likewise.
Whatever the reasoning & sociopolitical preferences, upshot is a LOT of people will be moving to renewable energy systems, or moving into urban areas where power distribution is more manageable & less risky ... exactly what Green New Deal types want.
So the viable plan could deliberately be:
- wait for inevitable/periodic wildfire season
- sue non-”green” power company for crippling damages
- power co. fights back via tactical blackouts
- population at large faces existential risk from blackouts, turns to home solar/wind power capture.
Greenies make progress against fossil-fuel-based power companies.
Financiers make a killing in renewable energy sales.
Not an unreasonable plan for those interested in such results.