Make a Power Move?

[Another Reader]

Per Governor Newsom, California is a "nation-state." He forgot to add that it's a third world nation...

So many people I know are echoing Al's "third world" statement in the original post that I think the outages and the fires will start to have an impact on companies relocating or expanding here. We may even start seeing some tech businesses not only locate their lower tier units outside of California but also move their headquarters out of state.

 

[RobbieB]

Still loving life here in the Central Valley. No plans to move. Ever.

 

[RAE]

The evidence is pretty clear that climate change is the driving force behind the increase in size and intensity of fires in California in recent years, as well as the increase in length of the fire season. And as former gov. Brown and others have said, this is just a preview of things to come in the decades ahead, unfortunately. That doesn't mean that every year will see bad fires, as the article below says, but the overall trend is pretty clear. Here is one short article that talks about some of these things:https://news.yahoo.com/california-wildfires-climate-change-driving-165249413.html

 

[dixonge]

The evidence is pretty clear that climate change is the driving force behind the increase in size and intensity of fires in California in recent years, as well as the increase in length of the fire season. And as former gov. Brown and others have said, this is just a preview of things to come in the decades ahead, unfortunately.

Maybe, but not necessarily:

Mother Nature, not Global Warming, is Causing the Wildfires in California

 

[mpeirce]

The evidence is pretty clear that climate change is the driving force behind the increase in size and intensity of fires in California in recent years

Oh please, the article you reference is simple fear mongering. The evidence is not clear at all.

As others have pointed out, California is fire country. People need to heed this and not build in fire prone areas - much like people in other parts of the country learn not to build in flood plains. Though it usually takes a number of floods - or fires - before folks catch on.

 

[ERD50]

The evidence is pretty clear that climate change is the driving force behind the increase in size and intensity of fires in California in recent years, as well as the increase in length of the fire season. And as former gov. Brown and others have said, this is just a preview of things to come in the decades ahead, unfortunately. That doesn't mean that every year will see bad fires, as the article below says, but the overall trend is pretty clear. Here is one short article that talks about some of these things:https://news.yahoo.com/california-wildfires-climate-change-driving-165249413.html

Your link was mangled for me, it got wrapped in some Facebook thingie. Try:

https://news.yahoo.com/california-wildfires-climate-change-driving-165249413.html

OK, so where was the evidence in that story? All I saw was "Some people say...".

-ERD50

 

[RobbieB]

I've been here for 41 years. Never had a problem. Nice flat land. No hills, canyons, forests, wilderness or sea side views.

 

[Gumby]

I could list about a hundred reasons why Connecticut sucks and no one should ever live here. Yet I still love it and intend to stay. I expect that people in California could do the same for their state. Right now, they are facing a natural catastrophe, and all the California bashing is doing nothing to help. I suggest that those tempted to comment negatively attend to their own affairs.

 

[Chuckanut]

Despite what the out-of-state folks think, I believe most Californians are happy with their state overall. If we start to see another Prop 13 type of movement, that will be different.

 

[Winemaker]

I love to visit, and I'd love to buy a vineyard/winery there, but I wouldn't want to be a resident.

 

[harley]

I've been here for 41 years. Never had a problem. Nice flat land. No hills, canyons, forests, wilderness or sea side views.

Because the plural of anecdote is data.

 

[HFWR]

I could list about a hundred reasons why Connecticut sucks and no one should ever live here. Yet I still love it and intend to stay. I expect that people in California could do the same for their state. Right now, they are facing a natural catastrophe, and all the California bashing is doing nothing to help. I suggest that those tempted to comment negatively attend to their own affairs.

It’s all political bashing/trash talking, which is in vogue these days. Lots of new iggies from this thread...

 

[target2019]

I could list about a hundred reasons why Connecticut sucks and no one should ever live here. Yet I still love it and intend to stay. I expect that people in California could do the same for their state. Right now, they are facing a natural catastrophe, and all the California bashing is doing nothing to help. I suggest that those tempted to comment negatively attend to their own affairs.

Nice thought! I say similar about New Jersey. Our problems include coastal weather and flooding, as a start. But we'll figure out in due time.

 

[SkisALot]

Lots of new iggies from this thread...

I will not speak for others, but I am not a new "iggie" here. Some years ago I was bullied into submission for disagreeing with someone. I will not ever be bullied again.

 

[Music Lover]

It’s all political bashing/trash talking, which is in vogue these days. Lots of new iggies from this thread...

It's no different than the numerous threads about people making poor financial decisions or those complaining about inept management in their workplace.

 

[travelover]

I will not speak for others, but I am not a new "iggie" here. Some years ago I was bullied into submission for disagreeing with someone. I will not ever be bullied again.

Argumentative people tend to end up on lots of people's "ignore list", usually within a hundred posts or so.


I admire people that post reasoned, researched alternative points of view, but have little patience for culture warriors.

 

[Winemaker]

While Californians are in a bind no matter what they do, there is always someone who has a different take, which is healthy, I believe. There are facts, lies, and general misinformation everywhere. Here is a story that is proposing that the power line shutdown is because PG&E cannot find enough renewable energy to satisfy there customers because of the constraints of high winds on turbines, just the opposite of what we might think we believe.



https://www.theepochtimes.com/was-t...ctricity-shutdowns-in-california_3129118.html

 

[unclemick]

How far north?

Lots of nice places in Oregon. Same for Washington. And if you live along the border of the two, you can minimize your taxes.

In ancient times used to drive across the bridge to drink on Sinday/Sunday(symbolically switch from Rainer to Lucky Lager) and buy some low cost tobacco products for the trip back.

heh heh heh - probably more Sun in Cal though - if one wishes to tackle off grid solar.

 

[Koolau]

Well, at least Cali is connected to a grid - unreliable as it is. Here in Paradise, each Island IS its own grid. One squirrel (Wait! Make that mongoose) in the wrong transformer and we could literally lose the entire Island. Back in '08, there was a thunderstorm which knocked out the entire Island of Oahu for 18 hours. You can't make this stuff up.

Sorry, but I don't have much sympathy for Cali. They have mostly done it to themselves - with the help of (well, never mind.) It's a lovely state and I've enjoyed my visits there. I could never live there because of the many things already mentioned. It's bad enough where I live, but I have learned to adapt to living costs and simply do not watch local politics. I have no control, so why worry. If it gets too bad, I'll look at Texas - if the Cali cartel (oops, Cali expats) don't finish it off first. But, I'm not bitter! I actually am rooting for Cali to get its electricity under control. That has to be frustrating and frightening. As always, we all have our own opinions, so YMMV.

 

[Brat]

Everyone has a price. As a fellow shareholder, I'm totally in favor of owning PG&E--the only question is how many billions California would have to pay Berkshire to take it.

At last year's meeting, one of the head honchos of their energy operations spoke briefly, and I remember him saying something to the effect of their operations in Iowa would be 100% net renewable within a couple of years. He said they were trying to do the same thing in the PacNW, but as you might imagine, there is a lot more red tape to go through to build wind turbines as compared to Iowa. And ironically, people who live in the PacNW are clamoring for renewable energy more than Iowans!

Actually Oregon has a lot of wind-generated power, not as much as hydro but still significant. Wheat farmers LOVE windmills and the income they generate. No land-use issues with windmills here. There is a fuss about wave generated power but that is relatively expensive and when we get "the big" tsunami they would be on their way to Japan.

 

[harley]

It’s all political bashing/trash talking, which is in vogue these days. Lots of new iggies from this thread...

Ha! Either you put me on ignore a long time ago, or you're never going to. I don't think I've gotten that much more obnoxious over the years.

 

[NW-Bound]

heh heh heh - probably more Sun in Cal though - if one wishes to tackle off grid solar.

I was offered a job in Santa Monica in 1984 with a good raise, accepted it, then reneged when I found out how much more I had to pay for a home, and how long my commute would be, because I could not afford to live closer to work even with that raise.

But it is true that Californians have the sun working for them, if they want to put up some solar panels. Now, let's see how northern states get power from their snow cover in the winter.

 

[segfault]

Actually Oregon has a lot of wind-generated power, not as much as hydro but still significant.

I don't think he named names, but I got the impression he was referring to Washington State.

 

[NW-Bound]

While Californians are in a bind no matter what they do, there is always someone who has a different take, which is healthy, I believe. There are facts, lies, and general misinformation everywhere. Here is a story that is proposing that the power line shutdown is because PG&E cannot find enough renewable energy to satisfy there customers because of the constraints of high winds on turbines, just the opposite of what we might think we believe.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/was-t...ctricity-shutdowns-in-california_3129118.html

From the above article:

Did you ever notice how utilities cut wide swaths of trees away when transmission lines pass through forests? There’s a reason for that: When trees fall and branches break the grid can still function.

So, if badly designed and poorly maintained infrastructure is not the reason PG&E cut power to millions of Californians, what might have prompted them to do so?

I read that many outages came from the hazards of distribution lines, and not transmission lines. Many of the fires were caused by the former, and not the latter.

 

[TromboneAl]

If one of the main problems is brush along the distribution lines, I'd think PG&E would bring in about a thousand workers and do it right away.

Yes, California is a terrible place and no one should move here, especially the lower population north coast.