I'm pretty sure political bickering is well beyond the scope of the mailing list. Is anyone moderating this?
- Mike Bolitho On Thu, Dec 26, 2019, 7:20 AM Tom Beecher <beec...@beecher.cc> wrote: > Same story again different colors. PG&E making a mint while people get >> screwed >> > > I'm not quite sure that's an accurate statement. > > In 2000-2001, PG&E got screwed by Enron's market manipulation. ( Good job > those who pushed so hard for deregulation of public utility services! ) > > PG&E is currently in bankruptcy proceedings, largely as a result of > liabilities from wildfires in 2017 and 2018. Under California's > application of inverse condemnation, a power utility is responsible for any > damage caused by a wildfire if it was determined that their equipment was > part of the cause. This applies even if the utility was in 100% compliance > with all laws and regulations. > > So you have a terrible combination where housing prices in the state are > driving more and more people to build in wildfire prone areas, climate > change is increasing the frequency of weather conditions favorable to > wildfire ignition, and the utility company that is being held financially > liable for damages while at the same time not being allowed by the PUC to > raise capital for infrastructure changes to reduce the chances of > electrical equipment starting such things. > > The answer is easy. Money. If people want a power grid that is safe and > reliable, then the utility should be given the funds to do it via rates and > appropriate tax revenues. They should not be expected to turn profits like > private enterprise. The power grid is for the benefit of all, not just the > financial benefit of those who have equity stakes. > > This situation is the logical extension of 40+ years of America's only > real product ; financial engineering. > > > On Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 9:18 PM Michael Loftis <mlof...@wgops.com> wrote: > >> >> >> On Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 19:00 Constantine A. Murenin <muren...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> On Wed, 25 Dec 2019 at 19:32, Michael Thomas <m...@mtcc.com> wrote: >>> >>>> On the dark side, this is probably coming to a lot more states and >>>> countries due to climate change. Australia. Sigh. >>>> >>> >>> Do you have a source for this? It would seem that these power issues >>> are rather unique to California not because of some "climate change" >>> bogeyman, but rather because of a failed public policy at the state level. >>> >>> It would also seem that these issues of rolling blackouts aren't even >>> new to California, either, as, apparently, it's already been the norm >>> during 2000/2001: >>> >> >> >> Having lived through the blackouts that was entirely different. 90% Enron >> manipulating the markets. There was plenty of capacity both in transmission >> and generation, but Enron manipulated prices and apparent supply to make >> money and screwed the whole state over. There was just about 2x the >> generating capacity, no real shortage. >> >> This time it’s PG&E all alone, but still fallout from back then. Too much >> liability and they’ve not maintained the infrastructure and so they decided >> that to reduce the liability costs it’s cheaper to blackout. Same story >> again different colors. PG&E making a mint while people get screwed (PG&E >> was mostly at the getting screwed end in 2000-2001) >> >>> >>> * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_electricity_crisis >>> >>> C. >>> >> -- >> >> "Genius might be described as a supreme capacity for getting its >> possessors >> into trouble of all kinds." >> -- Samuel Butler >> >