What's going on in California?

[WVBill]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

I was just out in Las Vegas this past weekend and we took a tour of Boulder Dam. Down in the generator room the guide pointed out that five of the nine were on-line at that time in that generator room and that a similar number were on line in the generator room on the other side of the dam.

Having read this topic and having seen the news, I expected to see a bunch of technicians and engineers frantically scurrying around trying to bring those generators back on line. There were none.

So I asked the guide why those generators were off line seeing as how there's this great power crisis in California. He replied: "Nobody's asked us to bring them on line."

I'd say somebody is pulling the woll over somebody else's eyes out there in California.....

WVBill

 

[Harv]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

<font color=blue>I'd say somebody is pulling the woll over somebody else's eyes</font color=blue>

You're not alone. Since the whole deregulation thing started, PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) has been very uppity and uncooperative. According to folks I have talked to who actually work for the company, there is a "teach them a lesson" mentality flowing around their upper echelons. That is, PGE wants to teach the PUC a lesson.

Who suffers?

You guessed it... /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[Harv]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Okay, folks -- now I'm getting worried. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

We've had rolling blackouts all week. Hasn't hit my house yet, but it hit the gym I go to (about an hour after I finished there on Wednesday), and various stores and restaurants less than a mile away.

Tonight on the news they were talking about more blackouts, running out of natural gas, and if that's not bad enough, a gasoline shortage. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Great timing, too. Winter, such as it is out here, has finally arrived. Nighttime temperatures are actually dipping below freezing (please don't laugh -- we've got homeless people dying in the streets /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif).

PG&E was about to pull the plug on some hospitals, fire and police departments until the PUC stepped in and rapped their knuckles. Our esteemed governor wrote a check for, I think, $400 million to keep the juice flowing, but that amounts to only a few days of normal usage.

I've heard some people say that California is only getting what they deserve. I'm not entirely sure what they mean by that. I was born and raised here, and I think I've been a pretty good boy. Not sure what I could have done to "deserve" this. It smells of politics and big money, but nobody seems to know for sure.

So I was just wondering if any one of my tractor buddies out there has an extension cord that would reach from your house to mine. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif I promise to pay you back as soon as I can.

 

[Bird]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Harv, I've seen one news story saying we don't have to worry about the shortage of electricity in Texas (not sure I'd trust that), this morning's Dallas Morning News has an article saying that natural gas prices were up 140% over last year, and my thermometer's sitting on 16 degrees right now!

WHAT HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING?

Bird

 

[Von]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Harv,
"I promise to pay you back as soon as I can." I think it is promises like that, that got your state in trouble in the first place. And yes it is the state goverments fault. I bet you wish you had a few new nuclear power plants close by now. Your state has no one to blame but themselfs. I hope you get by these hard times, or you can always move east where clearer heads prevail.

Von

 

[Thomas]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Bird,
I was 4 degrees warmer than you way up here. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
Did you see the story last week on the news in which goverment thinking about putting a satellite in space to try and control the weather, /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif mostly to warm and cool the earth....yikes.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

That kind of stuff really scares me! Mother nature is bad enough on her own but to peave her off that would not be good.
Richard

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Harv,

It will be interesting around here if the skys clear and the sun shines. Typically this results in plumeting temperatures and still air, followed by a burn ban. No wood burning unless it is your only source of heat. Normally the Northwest is insulated by a layer of clouds from the light humid air rising. Will we trade clean air for blackouts?/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[ERNIEB]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Harv, I've been watching this story with interest. I know I've poked a little fun at it, but I can't blame you for being concerned. California has a big problem.
From what I've seen, heard, or read, I'm not able to figure out what happened. Some say it's PG& E, some the goverment, deregultation, and so on. There seems to be alot of finger pointing going on. That leads me to beleave there is plenty of blame to go around.
It's a little late, but they better get started on building some power plants. Coal. gas, nuke, anything that will make electricity. It's bound to get worse before it gets better. I just don't understand why they neglected this.
No extension cord here, Harv. Maybe a new thread on selecting the right generator. Onan? Honda? Coleman?/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
Hope it doesn't give you too much trouble.


Ernie
"It will be appalling to you to learn, and see herewith inclosed our alarming weakness"
James C. Neill, Alamo commander Jan. 1836

 

[LazyK]

Re: What\'s going on in California?

Twink...Just got back to Gig Harbor from west L.A. after 2 orso months. Good to be back here for a couple of weeks ...then gotta go back to LA LA land. Can't fault a 65-75 degree Dec.-Jan. in the land of fruits and nuts but temp ain't all if ya got's ta drink bottled water, take a deep hit off the oxy bottle after a mild jog, hit the Jack Danials bottle after driving in the 3:00 gridlock(that's A.M.), and getting the feeling that there's too many butts trying to sit-down on too few comodes. I sure get tired of paying for things to a cashier behind bullet-proof glass! Don't get me wrong, I'm an aboriginal Los Angelinio, then a Santa Claran/San Franciscan, then an Alaskan,
now, a Pacific Northwesterner.
Guess we're just a couple of gratefully relaxed, sweet-water drinkin', crystal air-breathin' folks what's don't mind a little clean rain once in a while.

Lazy K - Chip