Millions Facing Mandatory Blackout Amid California's Big Green Push
California may bill itself as a golden hub for innovation, technology and green energy, but millions are looking at a weekend closer to the Stone Age than the modern era.
A whopping 2.8 million people could be left in the dark as the Pacific Gas and Electric Company frantically cuts power this weekend to avoid sparking more wildfires, Bloomberg reported.
According to Saturday PG&E news release, 940,000 customers are currently forecast to lose power throughout California.
The power company is shutting off power lines in the hopes of avoiding sparking more deadly fires in the state.
Predictions for historic winds come as California is facing a nasty dry spell.
Power lines blown into objects often spark, lighting dry brush that can quickly turn into an inferno in remote locations.
The gusts threaten to flame ongoing fires, like the 25,000-acre Kincade wildfire, potentially causing them to spread even further and faster.
Although residents near brush fires are encouraged to evacuate, some wait until the last minute, making for an even more dangerous situation.
The mandatory blackouts may help prevent fires, but they often force residents to confront uncomfortable truths.
One such truth is that the green energy California’s government so enthusiastically pushes on homeowners is virtually useless in a fire.
Residents with solar panels hooked directly to the power grid are just as powerless as everyone else.
Although generators can provide Californians with power during a blackout, regulations and a demand for gasoline have made operating a generator prohibitively expensive for some.
While going without electricity for a weekend is a small price to pay in order to avoid more deadly wildfires, it seems like proper management of natural resources in California could have prevented many of the fires.
In a push to “defend” the state’s wildlife and natural areas, logging in the state has been heavily restricted.
As a result, overgrowth and a crowded forest give fires the fuel they need to rage.
Perhaps if liberal state officials were less concerned about keeping up California’s image as a progressive leader, at least some of these fires may have been avoided and many would be able to enjoy having power this weekend.
Gov. Gavin Newsom once called California the successor to America’s label as the “shining beacon of hope.”
“America has long been a shining beacon of hope. A place of refuge for those fleeing violence. A place that welcomes immigrants and sees our diversity as our strength. In the absence of federal leadership, California will carry that tradition forward,” he tweeted in March.
America has long been a shining beacon of hope. A place of refuge for those fleeing violence. A place that welcomes immigrants and sees our diversity as our strength. In the absence of federal leadership, California will carry that tradition forward. pic.twitter.com/IgtUxqeUw9
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 7, 2019
For those sitting in the dark while wildfires threaten to consume their homes, the state is anything but.
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