PGE considering cutting off power in Northern California later this week due to fire hazard (Los Angeles: power lines, lawyers)

[wac_432]

Laughable. There will still be fires from homeless encampments, cigarettes, camp fires, dragging chains, dry lightning, etc. All this does is inconvenience/endanger hundreds of thousands of people.

If we'd just suffer a few days of smoke and a little erosion to back burn around inhabited areas, we could avoid all this uselessness.

[vincenze]

Originally Posted by citizensadvocate

Its interesting why we haven't had power line related fires until very recent years. There were wildfires before but they were caused by other human factors but not powerlines.

Well, the judge ordered PG&E to pay $12 billion for the burnt houses and to turn off power during winds.
Why would the company want to pay $12 billion for another fire? It's easier just to turn off electricity and avoid all fines.

There are always fires when the Santa Ana winds blow. Now, the government found a scapegoat.
There is a good idea to turn off natural gas lines too. Otherwise, I know the next scapegoat.

[Sparrow_temp]

This is what happens when you sue the power company into bankruptcy. If there was any justice in the world, the entire city of Sacramento would be without power for the duration. This is all to prevent lawsuits and not to actually reduce the risk of a fire. If the right people were without power for any length of time, this crap would end quickly.

[wac_432]

What's really insane is that they're shutting off power, and thus TV, Radio, cell towers, Internet, probably some fire/police radio relay tower backup generators will fail, traffic signals, street lights, gas stations, aircraft warning lights, radar, and water pumping stations.

So, when the fires start (and they will), the infrastructure to fight them will already be totally crippled.

This is so bat**** crazy I can barely speak. The only reason we managed to evacuate from a fire was because I happened to check the internet and someone had posted about a smoke cloud turning the moon orange.

These "planned" outages will end up killing more people than the fires alone ever could.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by wac_432

What's really insane is that they're shutting off power, and thus TV, Radio, cell towers, Internet, probably some fire/police radio relay tower backup generators will fail, traffic signals, street lights, gas stations, aircraft warning lights, radar, and water pumping stations.

So, when the fires start (and they will), the infrastructure to fight them will already be totally crippled.

This is so bat**** crazy I can barely speak. The only reason we managed to evacuate from a fire was because I happened to check the internet and someone had posted about a smoke cloud turning the moon orange.

These "planned" outages will end up killing more people than the fires alone ever could.

Excellent post and there's no better way to put it than the highlighted.

It is clear that this needs to be taken out of current PG&E management's hands. Who knew that one day, in order to prevent fabricated disaster, we would all need a hand in the micromanagement of a huge public utility? In 70 years, I've never seen anything like it.

I still can't fathom how this nonsense even escaped the meeting room when it was first proposed.

[Mr5150]

I guess PGE is tired of being sued for every fire that happens, whether it’s their fault or an act of God that they have decided to take one action to stop the Deep Pocket suits. Can’t really blame them. Where I live we are used to power outages and it won’t be a big deal as we are equipped. I do feel sorry for city people who are not so use to outages.

[CrownVic95]

Originally Posted by Mr5150

I guess PGE is tired of being sued for every fire that happens, whether it’s their fault or an act of God that they have decided to take one action to stop the Deep Pocket suits. Can’t really blame them. Where I live we are used to power outages and it won’t be a big deal as we are equipped. I do feel sorry for city people who are not so use to outages.

For a decision like this? Oh....yes, you can.

They are a public utility, with a public trust to provide a life-essential service. Actions like this are simply not an option....I don't care how pissed off or wronged they feel. Is there plenty of blame for others as well, be it the plaintiffs, the courts, what have you? Probably. So what? All beside the point.

This isn't 1819. Power must flow, barring unforeseen unavoidable calamity.

[homelessinseattle]

Your libbtard state sued them into this. You're lucky they didn't walk away.

[fluffythewondercat]

They've started:

At least 185,000 PG&E customers are currently without power in the North Bay as the utility company starts its Public Safety Power Shutoffs across several regions of the San Francisco Bay Area early this morning.

As of 4 a.m., the shutdowns have left 185,000 PG&E customers without power in Marin, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

PG&E confirmed that they had begun phase one of the outages that could impact approximately 513,000 customers.

https://abc7news.com/weather/live-18...tages/5604876/

I'm at our Silicon Valley house. Bad timing. Pigs, Greed & Extortion is expected to "de-energize" (nice euphemism) our county between noon and 5 pm today.

If the shutdown goes 5 days or more, the economic impact to the region will be enormous.

[Serious Conversation]

Damn.

I remember the rolling blackouts/brownouts years ago. Looks like they're back.