June 8, 2022For Immediate Release
BETO WANTS TO IMPORT CALIFORNIA’SDISASTROUS GRID TO TEXAS
“Delusional Beto O’Rourke’s idea that following California’s lead by connecting to the national grid and introducing a stringent renewable energy standard is the answer to energy security is misguided. California’s grid has regular rolling blackouts and causes devastating wildfires. Hey Beto, don’t California our Texas!” – Mark Miner, Communications Director
O’Rourke Wants To Connect Texas To The National Grid And Introduce Stringent Renewable Energy Standards:
O’Rourke: “Connecting To The National Grid Is Good For The Economy, Great For Keeping The Lights On.” (Twitter.com, 4/18/22)
In 2019 O’Rourke Said He Wanted Net-Zero Carbon Emissions By 2030. “One of the major talking points of the question and answer portion of the event was climate change, and O’Rourke furthered his environmental stance stating that he wants to meet a goal of getting to ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions by the year 2030.” (Robbie Sequeira, “Beto O’Rourke Outlines Presidential Priorities During Campus Visit,” Ames Tribune, 4/3/19)
California, Which Has A Stringent Renewable Energy Standard And Is Hooked Up To The National Grid, Frequently Has Blackouts And Starts Dangerous Fires:
Sacramento Bee Headline: “‘Risk Of Further Outages’: California Warns Of Blackouts As Another Hot Summer Looms” (Sacramento Bee, 5/6/22)
In 2022, The New York Times Reported A “Growing Number Of Californians” Are Leaving The Grid Due To Anger Over Blackouts. “In the Gold Rush, Northern California attracted prospectors looking for financial independence. Now, this area is at the vanguard of a new movement — people seeking to use only the energy they produce themselves. Angry over blackouts, wildfires caused by utilities and rising electricity bills, a small but growing number of Californians in rural areas and in the suburbs of San Francisco are going off the grid.” (Ivan Penn, “Frustrated With Utilities, Some Californians Are Leaving The Grid,” The New York Times, 3/13/22)
California Is At A Higher Risk Of Blackouts Due To The Inability Of Renewable Energy Sources To Meet Peak Demand Coupled With A Reduced Number Of Fossil Fuel Plants In The State. “Wildfires aside, the main problem with California’s power grid concerns the peak. … As variable solar power drops away, California relies heavily on dispatchable generation — chiefly natural gas plants — and imports to meet the surge in demand on the grid. A combination of especially high demand and curtailed supply because of extreme weather strained its ability to meet that last summer, leading to brief blackouts, and raised fears of a repeat performance this summer. … California aims to decarbonize power supply by 2045. In simple terms, dispatchable plants, mostly burning natural gas, must be replaced with variable renewable power. Yet those fossil-fuel plants are still needed to meet demand when enough solar and wind power isn’t available. Moreover, the expansion of renewable power and tightening climate policy already make it less attractive to run, let alone build, gas plants. Solar power squeezes them out of operating during much of the day, and having to ramp up and down quickly increases wear and tear.” (Liam Denning, “California Can No Longer Wing It With Power Grid,” Bloomberg, 8/18/21)
- California Is Often Unable To Import Energy Supplies From Neighboring States Due To Their Renewable Portfolio Standards, Leaving Those States With Less Dispatchable Energy. “One way to bridge the gap between demand and local supply is imports. California imports the most power of any state in absolute terms, covering more than a quarter of its consumption on average. This carries two vulnerabilities. First, extreme weather such as ‘heat domes’ can cover multiple states, and climate change exacerbates this. Second, most of the states and Canadian provinces in the Western Interconnect also have some sort of renewable portfolio standard, meaning they too are shifting toward less dispatchable generation. Over time, therefore, California may not be able to count on imports quite so much (it is heavily dependent on imported natural gas, too).” (Liam Denning, “California Can No Longer Wing It With Power Grid,” Bloomberg, 8/18/21)
California’s Pacific Gas & Electric Routinely Cuts Power To Homes And Businesses As A Means Of Preventing Fires. “In Northern California, Pacific Gas & Electric’s safety record has alienated many residents. The company’s equipment caused the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed dozens and destroyed the town of Paradise, about 70 miles north of Nevada City. The utility’s effort to prevent fires by cutting off power to homes and businesses has also angered people.” (Ivan Penn, “Frustrated With Utilities, Some Californians Are Leaving The Grid,” The New York Times, 3/13/22)
- Defective PG&E Equipment Is Responsible For “Five Of The Ten Most Destructive Fires In California Since 2015.” “California’s largest utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric, has a massive wildfire problem. Five of the ten most destructive fires in California since 2015 have been linked to PG&E equipment, including the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people. Since then, PG&E has been reducing the risk of equipment sparks by shutting off the power in high fire-risk areas during dry, windy weather.” (Katie Schoolov, “How PG&E Is Fighting Its Massive Wildfire Problem With Microgrids, Power Shutoffs And Cutting Down Trees,” CNBC, 7/3/21)
- In 2019 PG&E “Left Almost A Million Customers In The Dark For Seven Days” To Lessen The Risk Of Fire. “Since then, PG&E has been reducing the risk of equipment sparks by shutting off the power in high fire-risk areas during dry, windy weather. It calls these Public Safety Power Shut-Offs, or PSPS events, and in 2019 they left almost a million customers in the dark for seven days.” (Katie Schoolov, “How PG&E Is Fighting Its Massive Wildfire Problem With Microgrids, Power Shutoffs And Cutting Down Trees,” CNBC, 7/3/21)
NOTE: The Most Recent Monthly Cost Per kWh Hour Of Electricity Shows California’s Electricity Costs 25.59 Cents Per kWh While Texas Cost 12.28 Cents Per kWh. (“2022 Electricity Rates By State (Updated April 26, 2022),” PaylessPower.com, Updated 4/26/22)