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Bloviating Zeppelin: The Problem Of Power

Bloviating Zeppelin

(in-ep-toc'-ra-cy) - a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

The Problem Of Power

Today is Tuesday. This will be the 10th straight day of 100+ degrees in Sacratomato, Fornicalia.

I was driving down from the mountains on Saturday, watching the exterior temperature gauge creep up in my Urabus. It started at 86 degrees, then ended up at 117 degrees as I drove in downtown Sacratomato.

From Good Morning Vietnam:

-- God, it's warm, huh?
-- Warm? No. This is a setting for a London broil.

- What's the weather like out there?
- It's hot! Damn hot! Real hot! Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot!
- I saw -- it's so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames!

I overheard someone at work say: "It's so hot I gotta get into the hot tub to cool off."

So, with temperatures at "critical," the 10th straight day of 100+ degree temperatures, what does the State of Fornicalia do? It lights up its hundreds of interstate highway signs all up and down the state, its breadth and width, which say: "CONSERVE ENERGY FLEX YOUR POWER."

Huh. Like the way you're conserving power, State of Fornicalia?

Particularly after:

Authorities in California warned that the high demand could lead later this afternoon to an emergency order for rolling blackouts, a dreaded term here that brings reminders of widespread blackouts in 2003 during an energy supply crisis.

Officials declared a power emergency earlier this afternoon, cutting electricity to some businesses that had voluntarily agreed to reduce power use in exchange for lower rates. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to reduce electricity consumption by 25 percent, acting on a prediction from the state’s power grid managers that demand would peak at 52,000 megawatts, a mark they had not expected to reach until 2011.

Now of course, a bit of history: former Governor Gray "Empty Suit" Davis tanked the entire state in 2003 over his ridiculous energy policies which resulted in Cal ISO going critical, the state's bond ratings tanking and lawsuits abounding. This situation was the predicating event for the sacking of Davis and the election of Schwarzenegger.

The last major power plant built in Fornicalia was Sacratomato's Rancho Seco nuclear power facility, which went online in 1977 and was shut down by voters in 1989. Rancho Seco spent much time down but not due to its nuclear components; primarily from its transformers and generators. Local voters hit their ballots and checked the "No Confidence" box in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's ability to capably run Rancho Seco which, incidentally, was a Babcock & Wilcox designed plant -- just as was Three Mile Island.

Rancho Seco had a poor operating history and a lifetime capacity average of only 39%. Due to this poor operating history and increasing costs the plant was closed by public vote on June 6, 1989, though its operating license did not expire until October 11, 2008.

There have been a dearth of power generating plants since. And yet Fornicalia insists on being the recipient for thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants, not to mention those lawful citizens who for personal or business reasons are moving to this state when, on the other hand, the State of Fornicalia insists on refusing to build infrastructure, electrical generating stations included, for this drain on resources.

Why not build power plants? Three reasons:

  • Political
  • Environmental
  • Enron

Huh? The effect of the Enron situation (as well as Gray Davis's mismanagement of power and the resulting lawsuits in 2003) on investment money and confidence in power agencies is astoundingly negative. Some power companies will not, therefore, do business in Fornicalia when the state has a poor history with its energy management.

In the meantime, it's still damned hot!

BZ

8 Comments:

Blogger Gayle said...

Dang, BZ! You are suffering hotter temps there than I am here in Central Texas, and that's extremely unusual! Hope your power holds out and you don't suffer a rolling blackout!

Typical, isn't it? They tell you to conserve power and then light up signs all over the place saying "CONSERVE ENERGY FLEX YOUR POWER." That qualifies as one of the stupidest things I've heard lately... and I've heard a lot of stupid things lately. Moonbats... who can figure them out?

Tue Jul 25, 09:31:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Mahndisa S. Rigmaiden said...

07 25 06

You are right BZ it is hella hot! In Modesto it has been 109-115 the last few days. How come when we came back from NV, our refrigerator AND air conditioner broke? The technicians say they are all booked up until August first. So I asked my American Home Shield people if they are liable should I die from heat stroke. This is crazy! And the silliness of the lit up road signs is just appallilng.

Tue Jul 25, 10:59:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Gayle: I had a photo I'd taken of that precise same sign, but Blogger wouldn't let me hang a photo on this post. If I can slip it in later, I shall.

Mahndisa: Yeah, that's right, you're in Modesto which is right along with Sacratomato in the fiery pits of Hell. You must have seen those stupid signs too.

HELLO? FORNICALIA? VOTERS? SAY, HOW ABOUT SOME INFRASTRUCTURE RELIEF, EH? HOW ABOUT SOME POWER STATIONS? HOW ABOUT SOME MORE FREEWAYS, AND HOW ABOUT REPAIRING THE ONES THAT EXIST? HOW ABOUT ELIMINATING THE STUPID FUCKING DIAMOND LANES AND ACCOMMODATING MORE TRAFFIC? HOW ABOUT SOME STREETS CONSISTING OF MORE THAN TWO LANES? HOW ABOUT UPDATING OUR POWER GRID AND ALLOWING SO MANY ELECTRICAL GENERATION STATIONS TO BE BUILT BY PUBLIC UTILITIES THAT CAN ACTUALLY make SOME MONEY SELLING EXTRA WATTAGE?

But that might make way too much sense.

BZ

Tue Jul 25, 12:11:00 PM PDT  
Blogger A Jacksonian said...

Well at least they don't try to sweep it under the rug like Con Ed did in Queens... but you might try to give Al Sharpton a call after he buzzes St. Louis! I am *sure* he would be willing to swing by and give California a vituperation or two...

Don't have *much* problem with power here... just after semi-hemi-demi large storms when the power can suddenly just flicker and *poof* for a few hours or 10 seconds.... actually, after 10 seconds it is usually hours... what we do get are brownouts during the worst of the summer heat, but those can be dealt with (pats the handy UPS).

Spoiled and badly so by WNY and the Niagara hydropower complex when I lived up there.

Tue Jul 25, 02:19:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

AJ: stay inside and, for gosh sakes, don't come to Fornicalia or you'll melt.

Looks like, by Friday, our triple digit temps will drop to high double digits. At my place in the mountains, temps should be in the low 80s. It's about time.

And FRANCE is experiencing a heatwave as well. FRANCE of all places!

BZ

Tue Jul 25, 02:34:00 PM PDT  
Blogger A Jacksonian said...

Mr. Z - Well, France is known for baking its folks in apartments during the summer... and giving their medical staff the month of August off for vacation.

Expect to see deathtolls there go beyond triple digits this summer, if this continues.

Wed Jul 26, 06:29:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Bloviating Zeppelin said...

AJ: My fiance is a coroner's deputy in another county and she, by herself, was sent to three scenes yesterday involving heat-related deaths of elders in transient motels.

You are correct.

BZ

Wed Jul 26, 10:51:00 AM PDT  
Blogger A Jacksonian said...

Mr. Z - That is incredibly sad... and I bet there are no indoor malls there, as the weather is so *nice* year round. That is what gets me about heat waves in this area... all these malls with A/C, couldn't they block off one of those unused sides with lavatories and get a couple of cops to keep things quiet?

That, of course, never happens...

Wed Jul 26, 04:31:00 PM PDT  

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