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Blackouts a Texas-sized embarrassment
seguingazette.com ^ | February 4, 2011 | seguingazette.com

Posted on 02/06/2011 10:18:30 AM PST by dragnet2

Forget all the concern about al Qaeda terrorists using explosions to take out our power grid or foreign hackers disabling it from afar - in Texas a cold front can apparently do the job.

As the lights flickered and went dark across Texas on Wednesday in response to a state-mandated rolling blackout plan, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst was clearly irritated.

He wasn't the only one.

"This should not happen," Dewhurst told reporters on Wednesday.

Dewhurst said that cold weather knocked 50 of the 550 power plants in Texas offline. That, coupled with increased demand, turned out the lights.

"Lack of adequate winterization and preparation appear to be a major cause of the outages," Dewhurst said.

The plant managers and the parent companies might want to make a note in their day planners for next year - "WINTER CAN BE COLD!"

The fact that we weren't properly prepared for it - and because of that computers and equipment all over the state came to a screeching halt - is simply inexcusable.

(Excerpt) Read more at seguingazette.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: 3rdworld; blackout; electricity; energy; texas
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To: fortheDeclaration
Your view is the same as those who rationalized at New Orleans not preparing the levee's for a level 5 hurricane since they happen so infrequently.

Completely different situation - New Orleans HAD adequate federal money (paid for by taxpayers in 49 other states) to upgrade their levees and chose to squander the funds.

I'm thinking more in terms of snow plows and the like. After a severe, unusual winter storm, you'll see people and the media whining about how a city that gets significant snowfall about once every 50 years needs to run out and buy a fleet of snow plows - at someone else's expense, of course. We had a 9-inch snowfall this year, the first significant snow since 1993, so I got to hear the whining up close and personal.

Point is, you can't prepare for 100% perfection because it is prohibitively expensive and impossible. At some point, a cost-benefit analysis must be made. In this situation, perhaps more should be spent, but it must be remembered that situations like this are very rare and it would be a complete waste of resources to spend a ton of someone else's money to prepare for something that won't likely happen again in our lifetimes.

141 posted on 02/06/2011 8:10:54 PM PST by meyer (We will not sit down and shut up.)
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To: Liberty Valance
Good news! No permanent freeze damage for the grove on the family farm in the valley.

That's great to hear. Hopefully, the remaining season will bring about only mild freezes.

142 posted on 02/06/2011 8:12:48 PM PST by meyer (We will not sit down and shut up.)
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To: dragnet2
You people in Texas are being set up.

Trust me. As a Californian who lived through the Gray Outs of the early '00s, this is all to get you softened up for Smart Meters.

You are going to be told that these Smart Meters will prevent large scale blackouts because of their ability to channel electriticy where it is most needed in the event of electrical emergencies.

What they don't tell you is who will be doing the deciding -- some bureaucrat. And instead of entire blocks being blacked out, individual homes and businesses will be blacked out.

Gee, I wonder how they are going to decide who gets the electricity and who doesn't.

143 posted on 02/06/2011 8:15:39 PM PST by Texas Eagle (If it wasn't for double-standards, Liberals would have no standards at all -- Texas Eagle)
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To: dragnet2

What makes matters worse is how poorly the rolling blackouts were handled....when you blackout a hospital...for just 15 mintues bringing everything back on line in a hospital...isn’t 1, 2, 3...lights back on...


144 posted on 02/06/2011 8:24:04 PM PST by shield (A wise man's heart is at his RIGHT hand;but a fool's heart at his LEFT. Ecc 10:2)
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To: dragnet2

Gov Goodhair needs to step up his Ouster of the EPA from Texas and lets BUILD, DRILL and Process

Screw the Feds

I’m also for sending our Income Taxes to the State Capital vice the IRS ... let the IRS deal with the State of Texas.

I’m sooo looking for a reason, just one more

TT


145 posted on 02/06/2011 8:42:35 PM PST by TexasTransplant (I don't mind liberals... I hate liars...there just tends to be a high degree of overlap)
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To: lewislynn

“So you don’t see the fallacy in your “deregulation” (not a question).”

You can’t be that STUPID, but maybe you are. You really think that deregulation meant that producers could add power plants without oversight?

Naa - not that dumb. I suspect instead that you got caught with your pants down and didn’t shop for an electricity provider (as we were told to do, again and again), so you wound up paying way too much and you try to deal with that by attacking anything that moves.

Oh well - so be it. But I’d suggest you MAN-UP, admit your mistake, and not continue to take it out on others - particularly people that had NOTHING to do with your screw-up. It only make you more angry.


146 posted on 02/06/2011 8:51:01 PM PST by BobL (PLEASE READ: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2657811/posts)
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To: Jedidah

Dude we Export not Import ... We have the Resources and it is the Federal Govt that is stopping us from developing, building and exporting more...

Our Governor needs to get OFF HIS ASS, quit worrying about his hair and how he might be Sarah Palens VP and GOVERN ... which means telling the EPA to STUFF IT, Get out of Dodge, Depart, Leave, GO AWAY!

If I could be Governor or President for a day ... (just one)

TT


147 posted on 02/06/2011 9:03:39 PM PST by TexasTransplant (I don't mind liberals... I hate liars...there just tends to be a high degree of overlap)
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To: Jedidah

Dude we Export not Import ... We have the Resources and it is the Federal Govt that is stopping us from developing, building and exporting more...

Our Governor needs to get OFF HIS ASS, quit worrying about his hair and how he might be Sarah Palens VP and GOVERN ... which means telling the EPA to STUFF IT, Get out of Dodge, Depart, Leave, GO AWAY!

If I could be Governor or President for a day ... (just one)

TT


148 posted on 02/06/2011 9:03:54 PM PST by TexasTransplant (I don't mind liberals... I hate liars...there just tends to be a high degree of overlap)
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To: dragnet2

Why plan for winter? It’s supposed to be warm.


149 posted on 02/06/2011 9:06:17 PM PST by I got the rope
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To: meyer
No, in principle the situation is the same.

Texas has enough money to make sure the power plants are protected from an unusually severe winter, they just took the calcuated risk that it wouldn't occur.

150 posted on 02/06/2011 11:20:40 PM PST by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: meyer
Someone's else's money?

These are local issues, and it is the responsibilty of the local areas to be prepared.

If the citizens want to spend the money for extra plows, even if they are rarely used, it is there money being used for something they feel they need.

So, I don't know what you are talking about 'someone else's money', since all the local citizens would benefit from not having their power turned off or roads covered in snow.

151 posted on 02/06/2011 11:26:21 PM PST by fortheDeclaration (When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn (Pr.29:2))
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To: TexasTransplant
we Export not Import

Are you talking about electical power?

152 posted on 02/07/2011 5:45:42 AM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer (biblein90days.org))
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To: UriÂ’el-2012
OBTW no gas stove and no hot water since Thursday

That's no fun. :-(

153 posted on 02/07/2011 11:44:30 AM PST by fanfan (Why did they bury Barry's past?)
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To: TexasTransplant

which means telling the EPA to STUFF IT,


Huh.. he just DID tell the EPA to stuff it.

And he was conveniently in CA the whole time...

From what I can tell, ERCOT will bear all the liability for the damages, and it was chaos. Big months-long investigation planned, collusion already being mentioned for the price spikes.

I don’t think any segment of our grid would open themselves to this kind of exposure for a quick get-rich. Gotta be something else here... besides the plumber’s and landscape nursery cabal :)


154 posted on 02/07/2011 1:31:50 PM PST by txhurl
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