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I was talking to one of my brothers and the subject of the #TX electrical failure came up. I said that we are too smug in #CA, when
(1) Our homes are not heavily insulated, so if below zero temperatures came, we’d be dependent on utilities not failing.
(2) The fires in NorCal a few years back revealed that our state Public Utilities Commission is under the control of the utility companies, just like Texas’ privately-owned grid operator. Californians generally use natural gas for heating, instead of electricity, but some of our natural gas utilities have reputations for skimping on maintenance.
(3) Every time a power company has a “public safety power shutoff”, that’s a reminder that their lack of infrastructure investment threatens the homes and lives of Californians.
In short, a version of that could happen in #California. I’m not saying it is likely, but remember that Texas’ experience wasn’t likely until it happened.