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.
Credit Suisse has estimated that long-term contracts with renewable developers cost the utility $2.2 billion annually more than current market power rates.
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.
To avoid more damage, PG&E announced this week that it would cut power across 34 counties in Central and Northern California as long as there are sustained winds of 25 miles an hour and gusts of 45 miles an hour.
The utility says it may take several days to inspect equipment before power returns, and there could be more blackouts this fall.
Wildfires last year produced more CO2 than the state's businesses, homes and farms, offsetting state emission reductions in 2017 nine times over.
Environmental regulators responded to the report by claiming that carbon from burned trees is more "Natural" than from combusted fossil fuels.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-dark-ages-11570748835
Credit Suisse has estimated that long-term contracts with renewable developers cost the utility $2.2 billion annually more than current market power rates.
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.
To avoid more damage, PG&E announced this week that it would cut power across 34 counties in Central and Northern California as long as there are sustained winds of 25 miles an hour and gusts of 45 miles an hour.
The utility says it may take several days to inspect equipment before power returns, and there could be more blackouts this fall.
Wildfires last year produced more CO2 than the state's businesses, homes and farms, offsetting state emission reductions in 2017 nine times over.
Environmental regulators responded to the report by claiming that carbon from burned trees is more "Natural" than from combusted fossil fuels.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/californias-dark-ages-11570748835
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