Who would have first dibs on the critical equipment that would need to be replaced to restore widespread electrical service? It would be the same people who claimed first dibs on PPE, first dibs on medication, etc etc. This is a very real threat.
Seems our 'elites' put us in this spot - sold us out to China... This is sad. What a horrible way for our country to die.
Yes. The “trade with China crowd is good” crowd put profit above common sense.
Years ago I read some about this after hearing a guy interviewed on a talk show (can’t remember, possibly Lars Larson Show).
The irony was that this equipment can easily be made for competitive prices here in the US if it were not for environmental regulations. The guy sounded knowledgeable about the subject and had worked in the industry.
The good news is that Trump is aware of this and has commented on it before. The best thing to come out of this horrible virus (if Trump wins in November) is that Trump will address some of these issues moving forward.
We not only need to harden our grid as critical infrastructure, but we need to accept that having the capability to make our own equipment is a national defense priority and not some series of numbers on a spreadsheet at the Chamber of Commerce.
Turning out the lights for a few months would not be an “inconvenience” - it would disrupt everything and likely turn our urban centers into disaster zones. It would be far more catastrophic than this virus was.