Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 31 May 2019

California approves wide power outages to prevent wildfires

By DON THOMPSON Jody Jones said. “Everyone
Associated Press I know in Paradise knew
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) that PG&E might cut the
— California regulators on power off. I didn’t see that
Thursday approved allow- as a problem. The problem
ing utilities to cut off elec- was that they didn’t actu-
tricity to possibly hundreds ally shut it off.”
of thousands of customers Utility equipment has been
to avoid catastrophic wild- blamed for many of Cali-
fires like the one sparked fornia’s most destructive
by power lines last year and deadly wildfires in re-
that killed 85 people and cent years.
largely destroyed the city Other major California
of Paradise. utilities have similar plans
Utilities’ liability can reach that commissioners unani-
billions of dollars, and after mously approved Thursday,
several years of devastat- also warning that outages
ing wildfires, they asked could extend into cities un-
regulators to allow them der some conditions.
to pull the plug when fire “We’re worried about it
risk is extremely high. That’s because we could see
mainly during periods of people’s power shut off
excessive winds and low not for a day or two but
humidity when vegetation In this Nov. 9, 2018 file photo, Pacific Gas & Electric crews work to restore power lines in Paradise, potentially a week,” Gov.
is dried out and can easily Calif. Gavin Newsom said as he
ignite. Associated Press recently called for Califor-
The California Public Utili- ing at night. include high-voltage trans- homes in and around Para- nia to spend $75 million to
ties Commission gave the “I could die in my sleep,” mission lines like the one dise. help communities prepare.
green light but said utilities she said. “It’s scaring the that sparked the nation’s “I know it inconveniences “This is high winds, severe
must do a better job edu- hell out of me.” deadliest wildfire in a cen- people, but it’s a small weather, turn off the elec-
cating and notifying the The precautionary out- tury. The blaze last Novem- price to pay for not having tricity so it doesn’t ignite a
public, particularly those ages could mean multi- ber killed 85 people while the kind of devastation that fire. It’s a good thing — un-
with disabilities and others day blackouts for cities as wiping out nearly 15,000 we had in Paradise,” Mayor less you’re impacted.” q
who are vulnerable, and large as San Francisco and
ramp up preventive ef- San Jose, Northern Califor-
forts, such as clearing brush nia’s major power provider Is it ‘molecules of freedom’ or just
and installing fire-resistant warned in a recent filing
poles. The plans could with the utilities commis- natural gas?
inconvenience hundreds sion.
of thousands of customers Pacific Gas & Electric an-
while endangering some ticipates cutting the power By The Associated Press
who depend on electric- only in “truly extreme fire It’s hard to generate inter-
ity to keep them alive, like danger weather” while est in a news release about
56-year-old Kallithea Miller. recognizing that there “are liquefied natural gas ex-
Although she lives far from safety risks on both sides of ports, but a high-ranking
wildfire danger near a this issue,” vice president Trump administration offi-
shopping mall in Stockton, Aaron Johnson said. cial succeeded by calling
south of Sacramento, she PG&E initially planned to the stuff “molecules of U.S.
relies on a refrigerator to de-energize power lines in freedom.”
cool her insulin and a ma- at-risk rural areas but has Words matter after all.
chine to keep her breath- since expanded its plans to Earlier this week, the Energy
Department announced
it was approving more ex-
ports of liquefied natural
gas from a Texas terminal
on the Gulf Coast.
Assistant Energy Secre- In this Tuesday, April 2, 2019, file photo, Miguel Cortillo gets a
tary Steven Winberg, who tanker of liquefied natural gas ready at Stabilis Energy in George
signed the order, said ex- West, Texas, to transport it to Laredo. Associated Press
porting the fuel is good for
U.S. jobs and the economy freedom gas throughout mate expert at the Union of
and for the energy security the world.” Concerned Scientists. She
of America’s allies. Some people went on Twit- said the Trump administra-
His agency is helping let ter to make fun of the col- tion is exporting reliance on
“molecules of U.S. free- orful language, but envi- natural gas instead of pro-
dom to be exported to the ronmentalists opposed to moting renewables such as
world,” he said. wider use of gas said it was solar and wind energy.
Another Energy Depart- no laughing matter. “Natural gas is still a fossil
ment official, Mark Menez- “This is an absurd attempt fuel,” she said. “What the
es, said expanding the Tex- to rebrand natural gas, and world desperately needs is
as facility’s export capac- it shouldn’t fool anyone,” freedom from runaway cli-
ity “is critical to spreading said Rachel Cleetus, a cli- mate change.”q