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Terrorist Threat To U.S. Power Grid Grows
Investor's Business Daily ^ | Feb. 7, 2014 | IBD

Posted on 02/11/2014 11:25:02 AM PST by raptor22

War On Terror: New information about a sniper assault on Silicon Valley's phone lines and power grid has raised fears that the nation's power grid is vulnerable to terrorism.

The prospect that the unsolved attack on an electrical substation near San Jose just hours after the Boston Marathon bombing in April could have been a terrorist act was raised anew last week by Jon Wellinghoff, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

"This is the most sophisticated and extensive attack that's ever occurred on the grid to my knowledge," he told the Associated Press, contradicting FBI denials that terrorism was involved. "I don't know what the definition of terrorism is other than when an extremely well-trained group attacks a major piece of infrastructure in an expertly planned attack."

Wellinghoff also mused recently that the attack might have been a dress rehearsal for a more widespread attack on a national grid vulnerable to disruption. "There are ways that a very few number of actors with very rudimentary equipment could take down large portions of our grid," he told Foreign Policy. "I don't think we have the level of physical security we need."

An attack by intruders with guns and rifles could be just as devastating as any cyberattack, he said.

The April 16, 2013, attack on Pacific Gas & Electric's Metcalf transmission substation attack began when intruders lifted heavy manhole covers at about 1:30 a.m. in two places on Monterey Highway, south of San Jose, climbed under the road and cut AT&T fiber-optic cables, temporarily knocking out phone service.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that in just 19 minutes, gunmen fired more than 100 rounds into substation equipment, disabling 17 of 20 big transformers, causing about $16 million in damage.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: ebergy; electricgrid; powergrid; waronterror
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1 posted on 02/11/2014 11:25:02 AM PST by raptor22
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To: Still Thinking; StopGlobalWhining; Straight Vermonter; Tampa Caver; TChris; ...

WAR ON TERROR PING


2 posted on 02/11/2014 11:26:45 AM PST by raptor22 (Petty and vindictive do not be)
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To: raptor22

Probably white right-wing gun owners /s


3 posted on 02/11/2014 11:27:25 AM PST by Augustinian monk
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Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: raptor22

Just what soetoro’s waiting for.


5 posted on 02/11/2014 11:31:01 AM PST by onedoug
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To: Augustinian monk

or wild Amish Mafia Types


6 posted on 02/11/2014 11:31:04 AM PST by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: raptor22

The threat is not growing... the acknowledgement of the threat is increasing...


7 posted on 02/11/2014 11:31:19 AM PST by SpinnerWebb (IN-SAPORIBVS-SICVT-PVLLVM)
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To: raptor22
climbed under the road and cut AT&T fiber-optic cables, temporarily knocking out phone service.

At the risk of sounding obtuse, how would they know that's where the power station's phone service was located? Is that just public domain information?
8 posted on 02/11/2014 11:32:19 AM PST by andyk (I have sworn...eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.)
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To: SpinnerWebb

100 rounds in 19 minutes? These guys need to ditch the bolt actions.


9 posted on 02/11/2014 11:32:33 AM PST by SpinnerWebb (IN-SAPORIBVS-SICVT-PVLLVM)
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To: SpinnerWebb

I wonder how things would go if 100 attacks like that occurred simultaneously.

With all the spying on citizens, maybe the government drones don’t have time to go after terrorists.


10 posted on 02/11/2014 11:33:10 AM PST by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: raptor22

I heard more from the MSM about Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus than I ever heard about this attack on our infrastructure.


11 posted on 02/11/2014 11:33:23 AM PST by andyk (I have sworn...eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.)
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To: raptor22

Naturally we need to give up some more freedoms and liberties in response to this purported threat that may not be anything more than some jerks from the FBI running another false-flag/provocateur operation.


12 posted on 02/11/2014 11:33:50 AM PST by MeganC (Support Matt Bevin to oust Mitch McConnell! https://mattbevin.com/)
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To: Grampa Dave; granite; GreenFreeper; grjr21; I got the rope; IchBinEinBerliner; jaredt112; JayB; ...

WAR ON TERROR PING


13 posted on 02/11/2014 11:34:38 AM PST by raptor22 (Petty and vindictive do not be)
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To: raptor22

Only is a matter of when the next attack will come. Stay Safe everyone! This is not a matter of if.


14 posted on 02/11/2014 11:36:17 AM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: raptor22

The feds have just figured this out? The US electrical grid is a century old patchwork of cobbled together systems, controlled by a piecemeal control network. An icestorm or errant tree branch can knock out power to millions,
and these people are worried about foreign sabotage. An idiot with a rifle can easily knock down a major grid section for a prolonged period. The electrical grid and power plants are way past due for major overhauls and upgrades. It’s an investment well worth making.


15 posted on 02/11/2014 11:37:07 AM PST by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
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To: MeganC

*if* it were only that simple.


16 posted on 02/11/2014 11:37:22 AM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: SpinnerWebb

With Chris Kyle (Feb 13) being dead, looks like the second stringers were brought in.


17 posted on 02/11/2014 11:38:54 AM PST by free from tyranny
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To: raptor22

Imagine the havoc if they had just one RPG or planted explosives. Now consider a coordinated attack on several similar electric installations in different parts of the country...large portions of the US would be in the dark.


18 posted on 02/11/2014 11:39:04 AM PST by The Great RJ
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To: factoryrat
It’s an investment well worth making.

Over the course of time, and relatively recently to be exact ... Major power companies have been taken over by CEOs supporting democrats. Is only a matter of *when*

19 posted on 02/11/2014 11:39:31 AM PST by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: factoryrat

My thoughts exactly.

And more...


20 posted on 02/11/2014 11:40:41 AM PST by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
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