Last winter, many areas of Texas were subject to "rolling blackouts" of electric service due to the abnormally cold weather conditions as well as outages due to ice storms and power line damage. We dodged the bullet at Castle Paladin and didn't lose power, but many neighborhoods were without heat for hours, days, and weeks at a time.
Of course, this time of year I could do without a little of the "heat". Spending an hour trying to coax a feral kitten out of a hot car engine compartment in 104 degree heat is no fun - at all.
But, I digress....
I have already decided to purchase a portable fuel powered heater in preparation for this coming winter, and I encourage you to do the same after hearing the news this week:
Because of a new requirements from the EPA, due to take effect January 1:
The company says the industry's standard time frame for installing emission controls is several years, but the rule requires compliance in six months. So Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings, has said it may have to shut down some coal-fired power plants in East Texas.
"Curtailing plant and/or mine operations will be the only option" if the 1,323-page rule goes into effect as planned, Luminant said.
The Electric Company spokesperson went on to say that she had a high degree of confidence that "Curtailing Plant Operations" would mean rolling blackouts across the state during the coldest part of the year.
And while we are looking forward to possible risks, just think about what might happen next summer. The Texas heat is responsible for more deaths each year than any other weather related cause (floods, tornados, etc.). We skirted the edge of blackouts this year, and continue to do so because of the heat wave. We use virtually every kilowatt of electricity we are producing now with very little margin for error.
Just imagine the predicament next summer with even fewer power plants supplying that electricity. The hammer fisted Green Agenda of the EPA will be responsible for a whole lot of dead people.....
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5 comments:
aw crap.
I was a victim of the "target outages" (officially they were not "rolling blackouts" whatever that means) when it was 12 degrees outside last winter.
12 degrees or 105 degrees - neither is a good time to lose your electricity
Yeah, I think "target outage" is a new-speak way to try and make everyone feel less irritated or scared of what is basically the same thing. If its a "target outage" it must be ok, because its specific and intentional and under control :)
Even if we live in Crematoria, with extremes at both ends of the thermometer - I still think we live in the best State in the Union :)
If it's targeted, it must be affecting everyone, because we all know the gubmint is so egalitarian.
I had know idea that we had coal fired electric plants here. Or, that we had coal in Texas. Natural Gas, hell yeah. But coal?
What dumbass decided we needed to import coal to generate electricity?
really? know = no.
I finally have learned to "touch type" and it screws my comments up so bad.
Texas Railroad Commission lists 20 active coal mines in Texas (most in East Texas), and in 2005 Texas ranked third in the nation for coal fired plants.
There' currently a battle between the state and the Federal Bulldog EPA over coal powered plants and the regulation there of. Don't worry though, Texas leads the nation in Wind Energy production and I'm positive that the massive 8% of our energy needs met by Wind power will be more than enough to take up the slack.
Not.
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