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The Lights Are Out in California, And That Was the Plan All Along
The Federalist ^ | October 9, 2019 | Chuck DeVore

Posted on 10/11/2019 2:35:26 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

The power is out in Northern California. More than 1 million Californians are now without electricity, one of modern life’s essentials that is frequently taken for granted. The blackout was done on purpose—to prevent sparks from powerlines that could ignite deadly wildfires.

Before planned blackouts are through in two or three days, as many as 3 million Californians may go without power. On the surface, the blackout and its causes are simple to understand. But the deeper causes are complicated, span decades of public policy, and dozens of overlapping unintended—and intended—consequences of decisions, both related and unrelated.

The wind in Northern California is blowing in from dry Nevada, as it often does this time of year. It’s called the “Diablo wind.” In Southern California, the comparable current blowing in from the Mojave Desert is known as the “Santa Ana winds.”

In both cases, as the wind rises above California’s mountain spine, then descends, it compresses and heats up. Forests, chaparral and brush, dry this time of year in California’s Mediterranean climate, are primed for wildfires.

This Isn’t Climate Change

Michael Wara, Stanford University’s director of climate and energy policy, warns, “We are having to adapt to new circumstances brought about by climate change.” He estimates that this week’s blackout could cost the state as much as $2.6 billion in lost economic activity.

Politicians, journalists, and some scientists repeat a common refrain: California is getting hotter and drier because of climate change. They ignore the fact that annual precipitation totals over the past 100 years show no statistically meaningful trend.

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


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: blackouts; brush; califblackouts; california; clearing; climatechange; droughts; environmentalism; forests; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; media; wildfires
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To: Grampa Dave

When the electricity is off gas pumps don’t work either.


41 posted on 10/11/2019 3:30:23 PM PDT by xp38
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To: Mat_Helm

Last year Redding California nearly burned up. Keswick just west of Redding did. In 20 minutes the town was gone. Mostly Federal workers for the Bureau of Reclamation that operates the dam and power station for Keswick Lake controlling water going down from Lake Shasta. I know some Bureau people who lost homes.


42 posted on 10/11/2019 3:34:13 PM PDT by Mat_Helm
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

when do the food shortages begin?


43 posted on 10/11/2019 3:36:04 PM PDT by MrBambaLaMamba (Socialism is great, 300 million dead Socialist martyrs can't be wrong)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

PG&E did the right thing.


44 posted on 10/11/2019 3:45:12 PM PDT by EnglishOnly (eWFight all out to win OR get out now. .)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

PG&E did the right thing here. The answer to this problem is to run power wires underground.


45 posted on 10/11/2019 3:52:38 PM PDT by socalgop
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To: Huskrrrr

I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

Depends on the context.

Vapor is just water turned to steam. And water vapor in the atmosphere IS the major greenhouse affecting the temperature on earth.

NOT carbon dioxide.
46 posted on 10/11/2019 3:58:24 PM PDT by RedMonqey (num)
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To: seastay
There has been electrical power in CA for 100 years , and most of the early years the lines were way cruder and less safe, the lines survived many seasons of droughts and wind storms but now all of a sudden its a safety hazard ? BS

More lines, more power means greater chance of failure in high winds. Don't discount the chance of a major corporation failing to upkeep current electrical grid linage, either. BTW.
47 posted on 10/11/2019 4:03:59 PM PDT by RedMonqey (num)
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To: fruser1; Tolerance Sucks Rocks

48 posted on 10/11/2019 4:26:48 PM PDT by 4Liberty (The taxpayers can always take one more for the team. - The Government)
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To: Mat_Helm
The Energy commission likewise prevented PG&E from cutting trees and charging the rate payers for that needed work.

Your entire post is 100 percent factual. State government created the problems that led to the devastating fires. PG&E forbidden from clearing trees and brush, as were homeowners. (Gotta save the lizards and bugs etc.) My wife worked for PG&E, and there were always complaints about the state PUC putting very restrictive handcuffs on PG&E from being proactive. State and local governments screwed everything up. So why shouldn't PG&E shut off the power so they won't get unfairly blamed again? Damn democrat governors.

49 posted on 10/11/2019 4:31:52 PM PDT by roadcat
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Please add me to your climate change list.


50 posted on 10/11/2019 4:52:20 PM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (The democrats' national goal: One world social-communism under one world religion: Atheistic Islam.)
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To: Mat_Helm
I have livd here 60 years. The 1980’s were nothing like last year the worst in recorded history for the amount of acres burned. This was predicted to happen. My brother-n-law is a fire chief and his son works for Cal Fire. Last year ws unprecedented and scary.

Last year was nothing. The average acres burned in California before 1800 was 4.5 million. Last year was less than 2 million which still less than needs to burn. More should have burned. The essential problem is by putting out small fires in the early part of the year, calfire is creating the conditions for giant out-of-control fires later in the year. Also they need to set more fires.

51 posted on 10/11/2019 5:29:36 PM PDT by palmer (Democracy Dies Six Ways to Sunday)
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To: InterceptPoint

Spotted Owl futures are up 18% on the DOW.


52 posted on 10/11/2019 6:50:12 PM PDT by onona
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To: faithhopecharity

We have lived and prospered on the northeast for over 80 years and PG&E singled us out because of our limited voice. I’m thrilled to see other areas getting the blackout treatment.


53 posted on 10/11/2019 7:12:52 PM PDT by tubebender
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To: RedMonqey

Thanks, I see your point. We were talking about hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel derived from water, then returning to H2O as vapor after combustion.


54 posted on 10/11/2019 7:24:46 PM PDT by Huskrrrr
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To: Huskrrrr

Re: I know a Stanford egghead who thinks water is a greenhouse gas.

Your friend is correct. Water vapor (gas) is the most important green house gas in the atmosphere.

CO2 - by itself - cannot cause dangerous warming.

However, it does cause some warming.

According to theory, CO2 causes the oceans to warm. When the oceans warm, they release more H2O gas, which causes more warming.

The basic theory of man made global warming is that CO2 and H2O gas must work in concert to create highly destructive warming.


55 posted on 10/11/2019 9:11:56 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Robert A Cook PE

Done.


56 posted on 10/11/2019 9:16:46 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Show me the people who own the land, the guns and the money, and I'll show you the people in charge.)
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To: tubebender
We have lived and prospered on the northeast for over 80 years

That should read We have lived and prospered on the northCOAST for over 80 years. and have lost electric power due to storms, floods and earthquakes but never been shut out of the grid like this before

57 posted on 10/11/2019 10:41:35 PM PDT by tubebender
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To: palmer

Yes they need both more forestry and more natural burns. The burns prior to 1800’s where all natural burns so there is no comparison. The Redwood tree actually need the moderate fires to grow and germinate. Those pre 1800 fires were expansive, but not as volatile. The volatile fires with lots of fuel are actually worse for the Redwoods.


58 posted on 10/11/2019 10:59:23 PM PDT by Mat_Helm
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To: Huskrrrr

(winks!)


59 posted on 10/12/2019 12:15:15 AM PDT by RedMonqey (num)
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To: Mat_Helm
I agree with all of that except some of the pre-1800's fires were set by natives. They aren't sure of the extent of those, but they were probably beneficial.
60 posted on 10/12/2019 5:02:27 AM PDT by palmer (Democracy Dies Six Ways to Sunday)
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