Chris White Tech Reporter
October 26, 2019 10:35 PM ET
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is warning citizens that they could be in for a long weekend as the state’s public utility announced Saturday plans to shut down huge sections of the electric grid.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s move could black out an estimated 940,000 homes and businesses in parts of more than 30 counties up and down California. PG&E is trying to prevent potential wildfires from spreading through the state while keeping tabs on downed power lines.
Newsom, who is under pressure as gas prices increase, told Californians things are going to be tough for the next few days.
“The next 72 hours will be challenging,” the Democrat said at a news conference. “I could sugarcoat it, but I will not.”
The rolling blackouts could surpass those of the 750,000 customers who dealt with similar shut-offs earlier in October. Newsom started to circulate blame for many of the problems Californians are facing, including the blackouts and rising gas prices.
“These are difficult calls,” he said at Saturday’s conference. “But a society as industrious and entrepreneurial and innovative as ours should not have to face a choice between public safety and public blackouts. We can do both together. And that is what path we are on.”
Newsom also lit into PG&E. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Stumped By High Gas Prices In California — Where Gas Taxes Outstrip The Other 49 States)
“It’s more than just climate change. It’s about the failure of capitalism to address climate change,” he told reporters Friday as he spoke about the utility’s continued use of rolling blackouts.
Newsom also leaned in on oil companies as the state faces staggering gas prices.
The Democratic governor asked his attorney general Oct. 23 to investigate oil companies for conspiring to keep gas prices artificially high. Newsom based his request on a report suggesting California drivers are paying $1 more per gallon of gasoline than the rest of the country, according to The Associated Press.
As for the blackouts, PG&E said the utility is keeping tabs on wind conditions.
“We are working vigilantly to forecast conditions, and the weather is dynamic and changing,” PG&E spokeswoman Suzanne Hosn said in a statement Saturday. “We are adjusting start times based on the weather forecast.”
Newsom’s office has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
These crazy California blackouts and wildfires were caused by insane Leftist enviroMENTAL politicians 30 years ago, who passed laws severely restricting the clearing of dangerous trees running along side power lines, severely restricted clearing out deadfall, slashed logging rights in their state by 90%, prohibited controlled burns to reduce the buildup of deadfall, severely restricted thinning out trees, greatly restricted the building of forest/fire roads, severely restricted the removal of diseased trees so forests are now inundated with diseased trees which exacerbate excessive deadfall (which can’t be removed anyway), severely restricted the construction of of fire breaks, severely restricted homeowners of clearing deadfall and Removing diseased trees, severely restricted the building of much needed new water reservoirs, etc….
So, in the spirit of creating “environmentally friendly” forests, Leftist political hacks created a massive man-made artificial tinder box ready to explode.
But, of course, rather than fixing all these insane Leftist policies that created all these massive blackouts and wildfires, Leftists blame Global Warming, and nothing is resolved…
Leftism is a mental disease…
So recall him already.
I’m with you I signed the petition ranf.org.
“… It’s more than just climate change. It’s about the failure of capitalism to address climate change, …”
>>>>
Actually, it’s a failure of the public to elect viable political leaders that have a clue, but he’s not likely to mention that.
Newsom’s campaign took $58,000 in contributions from PG&E.
What is a bankrupt corporation doing making campaign contributions?
What is Gavin Newsom doing accepting those contributions?
California is corrupt.
I am sure Warren Buffet just spit up a few cherrios followed by a belly laugh.
Look, you have power lines serving 38 million people.
They cross federal, state, and private lands.
PG&E is prevented from doing what needs to be done to clear those lines.
But there is a huge problem with the law here.
If that utility is going to be held liable for lives amd property, you cannot also prevent them from taking steps to protect lives and property.
You will also have civil lawsuits if you try and go onto private property and do what needs to be done.
Who would want that company?
No one smart would want the company, your right! The litigation will go on for decades and fingers will still point the blame. But nothing will happen until our government is changed?
This will, for sure, solve the problem:
“On Sunday, as PG&E consumers called for the company to be taken over and electricity declared a public utility, Newsom reached out over the airwaves to Warren Buffett, begging the investor to purchase PG&E, per Business Insider. ”
It’s already a public utility.
OBTW: Has anyone calculated how much CO2 these fires are producing? And how does that compare to what us mere mortals do in the same period of time?
Shhhhh…forests are renewable! DRAX may have to start burning coal rather than N. American wood.
Per UN, CO2 produced from biomass combustion doesn’t count as the thinking goes that it recently came from the atmosphere.
On Sunday, as PG&E consumers called for the company to be taken over and electricity declared a public utility,
Electricity is already a Public Utility in California. PG&E is already overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission. The hint is in the name.
Newsom also leaned in on oil companies as the state faces staggering gas prices.
Jeesh. What about leaning on CA lawmakers about the high CA gasoline taxes?
AOC announces that wildfires are climate change:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/10/28/ocasio-cortez-brush-fire-what-climate-change-looks-like/
“The Democratic governor asked his attorney general Oct. 23 to investigate oil companies for conspiring to keep gas prices artificially high. Newsom based his request on a report suggesting California drivers are paying $1 more per gallon of gasoline than the rest of the country, according to The Associated Press.”
They are paying way more than a buck a gallon more than the rest of the country but he wants oil companies investigated? Can Newsom really be so dumb he doesn’t realize the difference between a gallon of gas in Cal. and the rest of the country is the gas taxes imposed on every gallon by his State?
Maybe they can recall him as they did with Davis, then the Republicans will nominate another Ahnold!!!
Ahnold turned out to be not much better than Davis.
That was my point. Just another example of filthy Koch-sucking Rove Republican swill. But I am surprised they didn’t carpetbag Mittens in instead!
There is a Chinese saying roughly translated as ‘feed the people control the waters’. It meant that the Government should store up rice in the good years so that there is some in the bad years and that the government should keep the dikes in good repair so the rivers didn’t flood. Floods and famine were indications that the dynasty had lost the favor of heaven.
http://www.recallnewsom.us. Download the petition, follow the instructions and mail it in. It would be refreshing to have someone who doesn’t use double speak as their first language, but in order to do that, just don’t vote for a Democrat.
California is going to have to hit rock bottom before it can even begin to recover from the years of Democratic control and malfeasance.
Imagine what would happen if there was a major earthquake in the state right now.
I’ll tell you, chaos absolute chaos. Fire crews are out of position, even in other counties, other emergency services are already assisting in the fire areas.