Upping the Ante

A couple weeks ago I wrote about how Pacific Gas and Electric, whose equipment was deemed responsible for last year's horrific fires, shut off power to over 60,000 people in Northern California because the wind was blowing.  That apparently didn't leave a strong enough impression on regulators so PG&E is turning it up to 11 this week:

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has announced it could turn off power for nearly 650,000 customers starting Wednesday morning, a public safety shutoff event being considered as Northern California braces for critical fire weather conditions amid significant wind.

The utility on Monday night released a list of 30 counties – throughout the Sacramento Valley, the Bay Area, the North Bay and parts of the northern Sierra Nevada and foothills – that could each see anywhere from dozens to tens of thousands of customers lose power starting at about 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Michael Lewis, senior vice president of PG&E’s electric operations, said in a prepared statement that it could take “several days to fully restore power after the weather passes and safety inspections are completed.” Windy conditions are expected to last through midday Thursday.

A full order of magnitude, and they're going to hit some of the uber-liberals in the SF Bay Area.  PG&E is playing hardball.

Keep in mind that this is happening in California, what used to be known as the Golden State in the most prosperous country on the planet.  Just sayin'.

Update, 10/9/19:  It happened:

The largest blackout in California history, which left more than 500,000 without power after midnight Wednesday, began to take its toll on morning routines in Placer and El Dorado counties.

Home Depot locations in Roseville, which was not part of the massive interruption of power, and Placerville sold out of power generators Tuesday night. Priced between $400 to $700, some customers purchased two generators to help run their households and larger properties.

Some districts announced yesterday that schools would be closed today because of the lack of electricity.

This is California, USA--apparently the only place in the country where winds require the electricity to be turned off.   Even the Bangladeshis are probably laughing at us right now.