Posted on 10/11/2019 6:15:48 AM PDT by karpov
Californians are learning to live like the Amish after investor-owned utility PG&E this week shut off power to two million or so residents to prevent wildfires amid heavy, dry winds. Blame the state’s largest blackout on a perfect storm of bad policies.
Two dozen or so wildfires in the past few years have been linked to PG&E equipment, including one last fall that killed 85 people. PG&E under state law is on the hook for tens of billions of dollars in damages and has filed for bankruptcy. For years the utility skimped on safety upgrades and repairs while pumping billions into green energy and electric-car subsidies to please its overlords in Sacramento. Credit Suisse has estimated that long-term contracts with renewable developers cost the utility $2.2 billion annually more than current market power rates.
PG&E customers pay among the highest rates in America. But the utility says inspecting all of its 100,000 or so miles of power lines and clearing dangerous trees would require rates to increase by more than 400%. California’s litigation-friendly environment has also increased insurance rates for tree trimmers and made it hard to find workers.
Meantime, opposition to logging and prescribed burns in California’s forests compounded by a seven-year drought has yielded 147 million dead trees that make for combustible fuel. Rural communities are at especially high fire risk when winds kick up as they have this week.
...
Suddenly, Californians are learning to love fossil fuels. Stores have experienced runs on oil lamps—yes, those still exist—and emergency generators fueled by gasoline, propane or diesel. Napa County wineries and even the tunnel connecting San Francisco with the East Bay are operating on generators.
Most batteries that store solar power can’t keep homes charged for more than a day during a blackout,
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
“No, Californians are learning to live like the Venezuelans.”
Yes, a hell of a lot of Californians would be moving up big time if they could live like the Amish. Of course they are way too lazy to work like the Amish though.
Thanks. You’re the only one who’s mentioned any run. They had fair warning but barely a whisper of any preps shows just how out of touch Californians are.
That tunnel goes from the East Bay to the further East Bay. Journalism is a lost art!
‘New Age’ Journolism in action.
Pretty area up there when its green..
but those days are long gone.
If you check into a hotel in California you will find that here are no small shampoo bottles as Gov Newsom BANNED them yesterday. No electricity and dirty mangy hair.
Since Newsom loves his hair I bet his “stylist” is never without shampoo for the governor.....
Here here is with the Canadian guy.
https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/newsom-trudeau-01-ap-jef-180209_4x3_992.jpg
I was thinking of buying a used electric golf cart so that my wife and I could ride around on our little place and hear the birds sing, I was told that most people are abandoning the electric cart in favor of the gas powered golf cart so it would appear the the trend of switching to electric cars is the opposite of what is happening with golf carts. Is it just me or is this insanity?
“You beat me to it: Electricity is a BASIC HUMAN RIGHT. Just like Health Care.”
Yes, as my old Navy buddy used to say, “That is casual to the most obvious observer.”
The most dangerous thing a person can do is be born on this Earth. Apparently the insurance companies want to discourage that too.
Hate to have to tell you this, but the wind is where the power lines are bringing electricity to the city.
https://www.windy.com/?37.257,-119.696,6
I’m sorry for your loss. I sure hope you left them out of your will.
Hate to have to tell you but they shut off the power selectively in many areas yesterday (my house being one of them) not even remotely near any transit lines from generating plants. The power was on in many areas of the Santa Clara valley or the coastline.
The alleged reason was possible wind in those areas which never materialized at all. Today’s Bay Area news outlets are full of “mistakes were made” mea culpas from PGE.
Preemptive shut off is one thing but leaving it off for tens of hours past any predicted time was ridiculous.
It’s all hyper conservative theater.
I used to live up in those hills. Tilden Park was a regular haunt for us. Train rides, hikes, and a dip in the lake. Lawrence Hall of Science was a regular stop, too.
It’s a little more ‘crowded’ and expensive these days I bet. I had relatives in the Walnut Creek area years ago,, never ventured far from their pool or hot tub tho.
The only thing I would check is to make sure the batteries are new. I would think that would be the only thing to wear out. I think they have 4 or 6 full size batteries.
Also, are you in a warm climate. Batteries work OK except below 30 degrees. Hence there are not any companies making battery powered snow blowers.
There is a great George Carlin video from one of his stand up shows where he speaks about global warming and climate change. He basically states that if you think we humans can have a real impact on a planet that is billions of years old, you are kidding yourself.
Also, are you in a warm climate.?
Within five miles of the I-20/I-95 intersection, about seventy miles inland from Myrtle Beach, yeah, it’s a warm climate. It does get cold but mostly it is anywhere from warm to very hot and humid with occasional days of pure Hades. Only within the past week has it cooled enough to enjoy stepping outside. We live on a hillside sloping down to a small river, back in July through September the catfish kept knocking on the door asking for ice cubes. The squirrels go North for the summer and the geese going South for the winter have to book a tourist flight because their wings catch fire if they fly on their own. If you want to find my house just look for the center of global warming and I’m there. The greatest danger to batteries is that they may melt if left in the sun. This is paradise, you oughta come see it.
My brother & sister in law live in Pawleys Island about 2 miles from the ocean and just inside the intercoastal.
Actually utilities are “free” for a lot of folks.
Section 8 housing residents come to mind
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