Bacon Bits: Fear and Loathing at Every Turn

Feb 19, 2021

—

in Energy, Health Care, Money in politics

Minutes away from monthslong blackouts.

Partisans and their friends in the media will debate forever how to apportion the blame between renewables, natural gas and other factors in the rolling blackouts in Texas. What the situation in the Lone Star State indisputably does do, however, is drive home the absolute necessity of maintaining an electric grid that can withstand rare but extreme weather events. As terrible as conditions are now, with people now going without water and power, it could have been worse. According to officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas or ERCOT, the power grid was “seconds and minutes” away from catastrophic failure that could have left Texans in the dark for months, reports The Texas Tribune. Anyone who does not think the same thing could happen in Virginia as we hurtle toward a zero-carbon (and potentially zer0-nuclear) energy grid is homicidally naive.

More news you’ll never read in a Virginia news outlet. We have to rely upon New York-based National Review magazine for this revelation: “While Virginia’s teachers unions have been vocal regarding their worries about returning to school, and their disapproval of the school reopening bill (SB 1303), new documents obtained by National Review show the unions also have engaged in an intense behind-the-scenes pressure campaign to influence Democratic state lawmakers over the reopening issue. Over just the past few months, the unions have combined to send thousands of emails to Democratic House delegates about school-reopening plans. And so far, the lawmakers have refused to release the vast majority of the emails, citing a state law that allows them to shield their correspondence from the public.” (Hat tip: TooManyTaxes)

Healthcare consolidation continues apace. Bacon’s Rebellion is the only publication in Virginia that is worried about the ongoing consolidation of the healthcare industry. The public doesn’t seem to care either, but we’re going to document the trend anyway. The latest news is that the University of Virginia Health System has signed a letter of intent to buy out Novant Health U.Va. Health System, a Northern Virginia regional health system owned and operated by the two companies since 2016. Winston-Salem, N.C.,-based Novant owns 60% of the health system. Under the deal, UVa Health, which owns 40%, will own the whole kit and caboodle.

“Our goal is to further enhance access to quality care for residents of the region and to deliver this care when and where they need it,” Dr. K. Craig Kent, U.Va.’s executive vice president for health affairs, said in a statement. “We will do this in collaboration with all of the team members at Novant Health U.Va. Health System and the region’s medical community, including both employed and independent physicians.”

Blah, blah, woof, woof. Does anybody believe that the interest of patients is paramount in this deal? How many millions of dollars is UVa paying? Terms of the deal were not disclosed, reports Virginia Business. Where is UVa getting the money? No details. How will 100% ownership control by UVa do anything to “enhance access to quality care?” Crickets.

James A. Bacon

Share this article

(comments below)

Comments

205 responses to “Bacon Bits: Fear and Loathing at Every Turn”

TBill

February 19, 2021

Re: Texas, I think we need to look at how many coal-fired power plants have been (1) shut Down, and (2) cancelled. I believe it is an enormous change of plans due to (1) renewables and (2) cheaper natural gas since fracking.

Meanwhile to hear the Liberals spin it, they are extremely upset at the lack of progress and they want to see heads roll, and US industry destroyed ASAP. Any use of combustion must be vilified and banned.

Part of the problem is that growth of population makes it harder and harder. But we are making huge changes, I never thought I’d see coal burning fall back as it has in the USA.

Log in to Reply
1. Steve Haner
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  It all failed in Texas, wind and fossil fuel and even nuclear production dropped.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. WayneS
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    “It all failed in Texas, wind and fossil fuel and even nuclear production dropped.”
    
    Wow. It has to be COLD to make those atoms stop splitting.
    
    😉
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Matt Adams
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Well according to Larry the NG froze in the pipes so it’s at least -260 F for a sustained period of time.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Nope, not me. The reality being reported from the sites where they froze up because they are not pure NG – they have water in it.
        
        Just listen to authoritative reports. I know that’s hard for you but it is the truth.
        
        ” Why do oil wells shut during the freeze?
        
        Natural gas, when pulled straight from shale wells as a byproduct of oil extraction, carries water vapors that can freeze and clog pipes. The well must then be closed off — or “shut-in,” in the terminology of the industry. Another issue is with gas compressors, which are used to inject gas to pump liquids out of a well. At low temperatures, the gas that is injected into the well may liquefy inside the compressor, causing the equipment to go down and bringing the well to a halt. Then there’s the problem of the power outages that vexed Texas for several days. Oil production is vastly dependent on electricity supplied by the grid, so like other industries, it’s vulnerable to outages.”
        
        2. How long does it take for wells to unfreeze?
        
        Frozen water vapor takes longer to melt than water. Most producers just wait for warmer weather to set in, after which it might take 24 hours for the pipes to be completely clear. Some may choose to pump antifreeze into the pipe, but the cost may be prohibitive at a time when oil demand has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. On Feb. 18, the highs in Midland, Texas, in the heart of the Permian Basin, were still below freezing.
        
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/how-texass-freeze-knocked-out-40percent-of-us-oil-output/2021/02/18/a2f5bfac-7232-11eb-8651-6d3091eac63f_story.html
        
        this is the very same info you can access also but insist on spinning false narratives…instead.
      2. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “Just listen to authoritative reports. I know that’s hard for you but it is the truth.”
        
        Oh the irony, oh the irony.
        
        Please, in your citation point to where it diverges from what I’ve told you?
        
        “this is the very same info you can access also but insist on spinning false narratives…instead.”
        
        Well the Washington Post has a paywall, but I don’t need to access it because it’s already what I said.
        
        Again, you don’t like me therefore you just want to argue for the sake of it. Your initial statement regarding freezing of wellheads was false, the NG didn’t freeze. The water vapor and other impurities that can wind up in that system through numerous other ways did.
        
        Hey what do I know, it’s not like I didn’t have air switches on the railroad that were a bear to keep going during cold PA winters. My maintainer didn’t have to pour methanol into the lines to keep the storage take form blocking with ice at all.
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      the thing is – if you can’t produce enough power to meet demand at the point that you want to bring power back online – it goes back down – even the nukes… You have to disconnect from the grid if you cannot deliver what it is demanding, no?
      
      Works like that for a home generator also, right?
      
      too much draw just trips it off…, no?
      
      Log in to Reply
  2. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Actual lessons from Texas:
    
    Critical infrastructure supporting the power grid must be winterized for greater extremes of cold (and heat?)
    
    Excess capacity is a good thing
    
    Some on-site storage of fossil fuels at generating facilities is a good thing
    
    Homeowners should maintain some heating capacity that is independent of the electric grid
    
    Water and sewage treatment systems should have backup power.
    
    I’m sure there are others.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      much more important than “excess capacity” is infrastructure that is hardened to weather events.
      
      and “excess capacity” that comes at the expense of some to the benefit of others is Un-American. If there is a true public-need, there is a process for that. It it is a for-profit private venture -then it’s on you.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        so – two answers maybe
        
        1. – how much electricity do we need to plan for – and do we pay power plants to provide standby power? That’s capacity planning that PJM does. They actually pay providers to stand-by while ERCOT is said to have not and just depended on whatever was available.
        
        In terms of the second question of much more “electric” than fossil fuels – like NG …
        
        to wit:
        
        ” Does going all electric as environmentalists are pushing add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
        
        Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
        Electric stove – 60 amp feed
        Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
        Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed (most families have more than one vehicle)”
        
        Yes. All of that does need to be incorporated into planning for grid capacity and Dominion does that with their Integrated Resource Plan.
        
        Beyond that –
        
        hot water tanks verses on demand hot water
        geothermal HVAC instead of air HVAC
        per room zone heating versus whole house or upper/lower.
        electric vehicles from solar during day at work?
        
        All of these factors need to go into analysis.
        
        And if Dominion does that and says they actually do need more power, then we acton it.
        
        But the question is – do we presuppose it should only be met with gas or nukes instead of wind/solar?
        
        that’s more complex. wind/solar done right – actually can reduce costs ……. especially if we start exporting NG. I hear that NG is increasing in price dramatically, no?
        
        ” US oil and natural gas prices rise as freezing temperatures leave millions without power in Texas”
        
        When the cost of power goes up – people find ways to conserve.
        
        The most expensive places for electricity – also use a lot less electricity.
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Yeah , we did wood for years then I got older and lazier!
        
        😉
        
        We have tons of wood on the lot and i do have a chain-saw and other stuff to haul but the wood stove in the basement and it’s chimney is gone.
        
        My grandfather heated with wood and had a register in the hallway 4×4 and the “stove” was a large thing in the basement that you could easily throw 10 or more rounds in… and not come back for hours.
        
        Wood is good. And on several acres of land – there is often a steady supply of dead and dying trees.. no need to cut living ones…
      3. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        And wood brings back good memories of my childhood.
        
        It’s been said that wood heats you twice. Once when cutting, hauling and splitting, and again when burning.
        
        I don’t mind the work.
      4. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Nathan –
        
        “Several days without power in the midst of winter changes one’s perspective of going all electric. ”
        
        Indeed it does. It was 47 degrees F in the master bedroom of my house on Monday morning.
      5. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “much more important than “excess capacity” is infrastructure that is hardened to weather events.”
        
        Your inability to read is showing itself again. Winterization was my very first point. That was not a random event. You seem to want to argue even about matters of agreement.
        
        And regarding excess capacity, here’s a quote from your own comments.
        
        “There simply hasn’t been enough fuel on hand to power the state’s electricity needs.”
        
        And given the above, you still choose to rail against having excess capacity to survive multiple system failures and higher than predicted demand? That’s not rational.
      6. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        context is important especially when quoting…
        
        ”
        
        And regarding excess capacity, here’s a quote from your own comments.
        
        “There simply hasn’t been enough fuel on hand to power the state’s electricity needs.”
        
        And given the above, you still choose to rail against having excess capacity to survive multiple system failures and higher than predicted demand? That’s not rational.
        
        Did you read the PJM link I sent you?
        
        It explains an important concept in capacity planning.
        
        You just don’t grab any and all “capacity”… “just in case”.
        
        That’s fiscally irresponsible and morally so if you’re using the government to justify taking others’ property for it.
        
        You have to determine what is actually justifiable “need” and what police powers of government are justified.
        
        You cannot have any old tom, dick and harry make an argument that any/all capacity is “good” and therefore they should be allowed to take others property to provide that capacity.
        
        Any old fool that says we need more Walmarts or WaWa and therefor the govt should condemn land for that purpose because people “need” food and fuel?
        
        What’s the difference? Just claiming a “need” is no where near sufficient.
        
        but go read the PJM link about how they deal with “capacity planning” and come back..
        
        https://www.pjm.com/markets-and-operations/rpm.aspx
        
        When PJM comes back and says there is a “need” then you know it’s not just some profit-seeking entrepreneurs and the justification is there.
        
        Texas ERCOT, by the way, apparently does not do this, i.e. they do not pay for stand-by.
      7. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        There’s obviously no need for additional natural gas capacity if power companies are mandated to migrate to other power generation methods.
        
        The question is, how will that work out in the long run for Virginia? Time will tell. California’s track record doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy.
        
        How about if you answer my question?
        
        Does going all electric as environmentalists are pushing add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
        
        Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
        Electric stove – 60 amp feed
        Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
        Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed (most families have more than one vehicle)
      8. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Your comments appear to be from what you have read, without the benefit of first hand experience.
        
        I have a heat pump, and it still requires a 60 amp feed.
        
        Heating only the rooms in use is not a new concept, nor does it require sophisticated technology. We shut off the air vents in unused rooms.
        
        Several days without power in the midst of winter changes one’s perspective of going all electric. I am now planning to head in the other direction with a goal of becoming more independent of the electrical grid, at least for outages.
        
        All the PJM studies in the world won’t heat your home when an ice storm takes out the power. Unless of course they send me printed versions which I can burn to keep from freezing.
        
        “The most expensive places for electricity – also use a lot less electricity.”
        
        Environmentalists support higher energy costs, and you seem to as well. But that’s okay with you because the government will take money from some people to give to others.
        
        Eminent domain is a mute issue since any viable plan will require taking land and easements somewhere. Electric power won’t even make it down your own street without easements. Your protestations about land rights are hypocritical. And no, I don’t support taking land for a Walmart.
        
        You seem to fixate on the fact that energy producers turn a profit. Companies that don’t make a profit go out of business.
        
        I don’t want the government to own the energy sector of the economy. The government owned power company in Puerto Rico was a complete disaster.
      9. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        in terms of backup and redundancy – yep – been there and done that myself… good strategy…!
        
        BUT if you REALLY want to do it serious – consider a geo-HVAC – it will keep your house warm with a simple pump. You’ll need a supplementary heat source for comfort but the basic geo unit will keep he house from freezing.
        
        Ditto for zone heating. You can heat one room for a lot less than trying to heat them all… especially ones you are not in.
        
        So yes, that is taking more personal responsibility than depending on PJM or govt or folks who want to make a profit selling you stuff
        
        I don’t support high energy costs but I point out that when energy costs are cheap we won’t invest in more frugal approaches and more redundancy. Again, your responsibility.
        
        Eminent Domain is about what a legitimate public need is AND whether it can or will be provided at a profit so let me give you another example. A school. Do you support using eminent domain for a public school? How about a private school?
      10. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I doubt that schools require eminent domain. I would need to see a specific example. Overall, I would agree that eminent domain has been abused.
        
        As for heat, the technology we’re planning to bring into our home is called “fire.” Wood is a plentiful and renewable resource around our home and the new wood burning stoves are very clean and efficient.
        
        https://youtu.be/RwXMm4X2DNU
djrippert

February 19, 2021

This is the best sentence from the relatively long National Review article on Virginia schools:

“Taliaferro, who is involved with the parent group Open Fairfax County Schools, said there are plenty of parties who deserve blame for keeping schools closed: the “teachers unions who don’t want to go back to school,” the “school boards who aren’t willing to call their bluff,” and Northam.”

The three stooges of the educational apocalypse …

1. Teachers’ Unions (or their equivalents)
2. School boards
3. Ralph Northam

I’d add one more – sniveling, whining, braying liberal politicians who demand that the science be followed until science negatively affects one of their special interest groups … in this case, public school teachers.

Where is McAuliffe on this issue? Where are Virginia’s professional journalists on getting clear comments from the candidates for governor on what they propose?

This will end this summer when our feckless governor will flex his “emergency powers” to reopen the schools this fall rather than face the electoral meltdown that will happen of the schools are not reopened by November.

As usual, it will not be “science” or “the children” or even the parents who will drive this decision. It will be driven by the likes of Kathleen Murphy desperately trying to get reelected.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Isn’t this also going on across the country?
  
  Is it a liberal/teacher “conspiracy” beyond just Northam and Virginia?
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Please keep in mind, not all teachers support the teacher’s union position on opening of schools. And teachers in Virginia aren’t forced to join the union, yet. Democrats want to change that.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. djrippert
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I imagine that is right although you don’t hear much from active teachers in contradiction to the orthodoxy of their unions and associations.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Nathan
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Screaming liberals and conservatives who’ve learned to keep their mouth shut is not an unusual situation. Freedom of speech is not supported equally across the political spectrum, especially within education.
      
      I’m obviously very opinionated, but to survive 20 years in higher education required that I keep my views to myself at work.
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      I think you are really selling teachers short. Union or not, teachers have views and their views about the pandemic is that there is a big divide between what people say they want the teachers to do and what they are willing to actually have done to make it safe for teachers.
      
      One of the CDC guidelines is percent of community spread but all these folks that talk about the teachers following “science”, themselves, ignore or discount what the CDC is actually saying:
      
      This is what the CDC is saying and the “get back to school” folks just refuse to acknowledge:
      
      https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/02/12/cdc-table-1_custom-c1b831de48d323b84607ab3d873376e8271d173d.png
      
      How can teachers be ignoring science if they cite these CDC guielines?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. djrippert
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I have a novel idea about the novel coronavirus – why don’t we let the director of the CDC explain the CDC data?
        
        https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cdc-director-says-schools-can-safely-reopen-without-vaccinating-teachers.html
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        The thing is , this is the “science” – no?
Nancy_Naive

February 19, 2021

Peter, Larry, myself, et al, are unfortunate. We have no choice.

You guys are lucky. You can choose to change and be a conservative moderating voice in a progressive party, or simply remain a moderating voice in a party dominated by Trump cultists and white supremacists… unless, of course, that’s not a choice for you.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  there’s a certain amount of playing both sides of the street when a lot of what is said is grievances in general against government, institutions and science. – it differs only in degree sometimes… same church different pew.
  
  And that explains the GOP in Virginia and nationally these days also.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I strongly support science AND math. Please see my post above and do the math.
    
    Environmentalists would also do well to acquaint themselves with the science used in gas heaters. Thermopiles and Thermocouples allow them to work safely without any external electricity.
    
    I find it unconscionable that we are being encouraged to abandon potentially life saving heaters, when we know that the power distribution system can fail for extended periods of time.
    
    “3 weather-related deaths in Abilene including man who ‘froze to death’ in his home”
    
    “On Wednesday, a 60-year-old man was found dead in his home in north Abilene.”
    
    “The victim’s wife said they had not had power for three days.”
    
    “AFD crews noted the temperature inside the home felt as cold as the temperature outside.”
    
    “The wife. 72, was taken to the hospital.”
    
    https://ktxs.com/news/local/three-weather-related-deaths-in-abilene
    
    https://ktxs.com/news/local/three-weather-related-deaths-in-abilene
    
    Log in to Reply
2. djrippert
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Yet more babble from an anonymous commenter, a man who uses a woman’s name and a picture of a dog. One choice you have is to post under your own name with your own picture.
  
  “Peter, Larry, myself, et al, are unfortunate. We have no choice.” Are you claiming that being a self-loathing liberal is a genetic condition? What’s next? A demand for state funded counseling for your “unfortunate” condition? Maybe we start by sending all of you a participation trophy. Would that help?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Well, not a Losetarian.
    
    Log in to Reply
  2. TBill
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    picture needed for credibility?
    You do not think this avatar is the real me?
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      TBill, you don’t accuse people of supporting groups dominated by white supremacists. Of course, it was our Democratic governor who showed up pictured in blackface accompanied by a friend in klan robes while nicknamed Coonman. That was “way back” in the mid-1980s when he was a tot of 25 in medical school. But it’s the Republicans who are the white supremacists.
      
      I’ve never seen a klan robe in real life. Not on a relative. Not in a box in the attic. Not at a party. I don’t venerate the architect of Massive Resistance and neither do any of my friends.
      
      The real white supremacists in Virginia have always been members of the plantation elite from central and southeastern Virginia. You know, like Ralph Northam.
      
      If Nancy_Naive wants to cast racial aspersions at broad classes of people he/she/it can at least show the minimal courage to identify himself/herself/itself.
      
      Log in to Reply
Nancy_Naive

February 19, 2021

And this house
44°49’05″N 66°57’30″W · 67.5 ft
is completely off the grid and a year round residence.

Log in to Reply
1. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Can you say “elite”?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    It was on HGTV “Building Off the Grid”
    
    Not terribly expensive. Not like this.
    
    https://newatlas.com/arkup-1-luxury-floating-home/58662/
    
    Log in to Reply
Bosun

February 19, 2021

Texas is not connected to the two nation-wide power grids and it’s hard for them to get outside the state power. Also, the natural gas distribution system in Texas was not built to withstand extreme [for them] cold for any length of time and the accompanying pressure drops. So, NG powered power plants, manufacturing and refining had to shut down. Don’t mess with Texas. Bosun

Log in to Reply
1. TBill
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  The other thing the Texas example shows, when Liberals say even the most costly renewables are far cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel, that is of course obfuscation of the facts, but also in the liberals mind, mega Trillion$ required upgrades of the grid and back-up power costs needed etc. should be something the public just pays a lot more for and is not part of the renewables cost.
  
  Log in to Reply
taxslave

February 19, 2021

Tx is less than 10% nuke.
VA is 29% nuclear and could almost double output simply by completing Anna and Surry nuke sites.

Log in to Reply
taxslave

February 19, 2021

Tx is less than 10% nuke.
VA is 29% nuclear and could almost double output simply by completing Anna and Surry nuke sites.

Log in to Reply
Steve Haner

February 19, 2021

You gotta hand it to the genius of the “climate change” scammers. Hot or cold, windy or calm, too much snow or no snow, they take credit for all of it. Of course, their claims of no more winter, no more snow encouraged idiots in Texas to forget about the possibility of this kind of trouble (even though it has happened before.) Now its’ “oh no, any extreme weather anywhere on the Earth is entirely new and entirely due to Evil CO2.” Media repetitions abound, the sheep bleat and accept it.

As to our nukes, expect a huge fight just to get their licenses extended. Getting more approved is beyond hope at this point. The National Leadership and State Leadership are all Climate Change True Believers, ready to rely on wind and solar.

Log in to Reply
1. TBill
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Bill Gates has new book. Saw interview. He says TX cold snap is unquestionably climate change, reduced winds allowing polar vortex’s to head south. Fires, Hurricanes everything terrible, paraphrasing, he says impossible to understate the emerging Armageddon. I was not expecting such an extreme view from him.
  
  On the other hand, USA pursuing elite attitudes and doing mega-costly green technology does not solve the worlds problem. Need cheaper solutions. He is worried about all the coal plants China is building as well as funding in other parts of the world. So that is something I agree with.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. TooManyTaxes
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Bill Gates knows a lot about software, marketing and money. What does he know about Climate Change? Why doesn’t he give away all of his money to efforts to address it? That would include his use of private jets to go around the world talking about Climate Change and greenhouse gas emissions.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      He does. Of all the rich folks in the world, how many have given away their fortune to help others?
      
      ” Bill and Melinda Gates have given $45.5 billion to charitable causes, including the eponymously named Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, since 1994, CNBC reported, citing the Chronicle of Philanthropy. In 2019, the couple donated $589 million to charity, making them the seventh most philanthropic people last year.
      
      and here’s what you won’t know if you spend all your time with your nose in right-wing media:
      
      ” But of all his green investments, Gates has spent the most time and money pursuing a breakthrough in nuclear energy — arguing it’s key to a zero carbon future.
      
      He says he’s a big believer in wind and solar and thinks it can one day provide up to 80% of the country’s electricity, but Gates insists unless we discover an effective way to store and ship wind and solar energy, nuclear power will likely have to do the rest. Energy from nuclear plants can be stored so it’s available when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. ”
      
      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-gates-climate-change-disaster-60-minutes-2021-02-14/
      
      Now how “extreme” is Bill Gates view on Climate Change and nuclear energy?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Steve Haner
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Well, 20% nuke (or other reliable baseload) and you remain a dreamer. At 40-50% that gets reasonable, but still risky.
      2. TBill
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Is Gates recommending nuclear as we now know it? Or nextgen type stuff.
    2. TBill
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      John Kerry said today although we are signing Paris , that is a very weak pact allowing global disaster soon, Therefore much more draconian regs are needed here in the US, and pronto. Paraphrasing again, but that’s pretty much the message.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Then he hopped on his private jet.
      2. TooManyTaxes
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        The Paris Accord is not binding. If Americans are to sacrifice to achieve its goals, why isn’t being submitted to the Senate as a binding treaty?
Steve Haner

February 19, 2021

You gotta hand it to the genius of the “climate change” scammers. Hot or cold, windy or calm, too much snow or no snow, they take credit for all of it. Of course, their claims of no more winter, no more snow encouraged idiots in Texas to forget about the possibility of this kind of trouble (even though it has happened before.) Now its’ “oh no, any extreme weather anywhere on the Earth is entirely new and entirely due to Evil CO2.” Media repetitions abound, the sheep bleat and accept it.

As to our nukes, expect a huge fight just to get their licenses extended. Getting more approved is beyond hope at this point. The National Leadership and State Leadership are all Climate Change True Believers, ready to rely on wind and solar.

Log in to Reply
1. TBill
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Bill Gates has new book. Saw interview. He says TX cold snap is unquestionably climate change, reduced winds allowing polar vortex’s to head south. Fires, Hurricanes everything terrible, paraphrasing, he says impossible to understate the emerging Armageddon. I was not expecting such an extreme view from him.
  
  On the other hand, USA pursuing elite attitudes and doing mega-costly green technology does not solve the worlds problem. Need cheaper solutions. He is worried about all the coal plants China is building as well as funding in other parts of the world. So that is something I agree with.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. TooManyTaxes
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Bill Gates knows a lot about software, marketing and money. What does he know about Climate Change? Why doesn’t he give away all of his money to efforts to address it? That would include his use of private jets to go around the world talking about Climate Change and greenhouse gas emissions.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. TBill
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      John Kerry said today although we are signing Paris , that is a very weak pact allowing global disaster soon, Therefore much more draconian regs are needed here in the US, and pronto. Paraphrasing again, but that’s pretty much the message.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Then he hopped on his private jet.
      2. TooManyTaxes
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        The Paris Accord is not binding. If Americans are to sacrifice to achieve its goals, why isn’t being submitted to the Senate as a binding treaty?
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      He does. Of all the rich folks in the world, how many have given away their fortune to help others?
      
      ” Bill and Melinda Gates have given $45.5 billion to charitable causes, including the eponymously named Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, since 1994, CNBC reported, citing the Chronicle of Philanthropy. In 2019, the couple donated $589 million to charity, making them the seventh most philanthropic people last year.
      
      and here’s what you won’t know if you spend all your time with your nose in right-wing media:
      
      ” But of all his green investments, Gates has spent the most time and money pursuing a breakthrough in nuclear energy — arguing it’s key to a zero carbon future.
      
      He says he’s a big believer in wind and solar and thinks it can one day provide up to 80% of the country’s electricity, but Gates insists unless we discover an effective way to store and ship wind and solar energy, nuclear power will likely have to do the rest. Energy from nuclear plants can be stored so it’s available when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. ”
      
      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bill-gates-climate-change-disaster-60-minutes-2021-02-14/
      
      Now how “extreme” is Bill Gates view on Climate Change and nuclear energy?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. TBill
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Is Gates recommending nuclear as we now know it? Or nextgen type stuff.
      2. Steve Haner
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Well, 20% nuke (or other reliable baseload) and you remain a dreamer. At 40-50% that gets reasonable, but still risky.
LarrytheG

February 19, 2021

I’m suspecting that PJM is not ERCOT.

But at any rate – with a grid that is 10% wind going down – only the most obtuse would see that as a renewable failure.

This is what happens when your fossil fuel plants are not hardened against cold weather. Dozens of states to the NORTH of Texas with even colder temps did not have anything close to the meltdown in Texas.

Just walk away from the Climate thing and do a simple look at what happened. It’s happened before, even in Texas, long before there was wind.

Log in to Reply
1. Steve Haner
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  It is clear it was a general failure, including some issues of grid management that almost crashed it entirely. Perhaps different turbine equipment in other states operates better and Texas went cheap. A story on CNBC this morning on how a German firm actually owns much of the Texas wind generation and it is taking a financial beating, having had to buy spot power at thousands per MW to meet some contracts. Fascinating stuff. Texas apparently had a bunch of recommendations after a 2011 scare but didn’t implement them.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I should remind you that Tx Lt Gov Dan Patrick says grandparents would be willing to die to save the economy for their grandchildren.
    
    Former Tx Gov Perry says Texans willing to suffer blackouts to keep feds out of power market.
    
    Tx Senator Ted Cruz said he realized his Cancun mistake as he was drinking a glass of wine in 1st class. I’ll say! Drinks in 1st are comped. Should’ve had champagne.
    
    Can you say “elite”?
    
    Log in to Reply
2. wonderbread
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  I think PJM is quite good at grid management, and it’s clear they’ve figured out how to set up the right set of pricing mechanisms to ensure stable power.
  
  But it’s inarguable handling edge events will get harder with electrification. Heat Pumps in particular are a danger. They’re miracle devices…even with transmission losses the can make a BTU delivered to a NG plant over 1x BTUs in a house, vs. the .8 of your house’s furnace can make of that BTU, and of course they can consume clean energy.
  
  BUT…their power demand scales exponentially with extreme cold, dipping in efficiency when it gets colder and more heat is needed, down to the wildly inefficient emergency heat, which makes 1 BTU of NG .3 in your house. That means for an extreme event you need over 2x as much NG for a heat pump heated house power by an NG peaker compared to if the same house had an NG furnace.
  
  It’s not that simple, of course, but it argues that you want a diverse grid, and also that it’s probably unwise to over-rely on Natural Gas as a power source, regardless of what renewable mix you choose, and especially for back-up. Nukes are an obvious answer, but so is a robust mix of solar, wind, hydro, and even more exotics like tidal and geothermal.
  
  That said…these are engineering problems and we’re good at those when we put our minds to them. Every year we get better heat pumps which perform better in colder weather, and PJM is a great example of an organization that works effectively to solve our grid problems.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. TBill
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Especially if we are banning nat gas pipelines.
    
    Log in to Reply
LarrytheG

February 19, 2021

I’m suspecting that PJM is not ERCOT.

But at any rate – with a grid that is 10% wind going down – only the most obtuse would see that as a renewable failure.

This is what happens when your fossil fuel plants are not hardened against cold weather. Dozens of states to the NORTH of Texas with even colder temps did not have anything close to the meltdown in Texas.

Just walk away from the Climate thing and do a simple look at what happened. It’s happened before, even in Texas, long before there was wind.

Log in to Reply
1. Steve Haner
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  It is clear it was a general failure, including some issues of grid management that almost crashed it entirely. Perhaps different turbine equipment in other states operates better and Texas went cheap. A story on CNBC this morning on how a German firm actually owns much of the Texas wind generation and it is taking a financial beating, having had to buy spot power at thousands per MW to meet some contracts. Fascinating stuff. Texas apparently had a bunch of recommendations after a 2011 scare but didn’t implement them.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I should remind you that Tx Lt Gov Dan Patrick says grandparents would be willing to die to save the economy for their grandchildren.
    
    Former Tx Gov Perry says Texans willing to suffer blackouts to keep feds out of power market.
    
    Tx Senator Ted Cruz said he realized his Cancun mistake as he was drinking a glass of wine in 1st class. I’ll say! Drinks in 1st are comped. Should’ve had champagne.
    
    Can you say “elite”?
    
    Log in to Reply
2. wonderbread
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  I think PJM is quite good at grid management, and it’s clear they’ve figured out how to set up the right set of pricing mechanisms to ensure stable power.
  
  But it’s inarguable handling edge events will get harder with electrification. Heat Pumps in particular are a danger. They’re miracle devices…even with transmission losses the can make a BTU delivered to a NG plant over 1x BTUs in a house, vs. the .8 of your house’s furnace can make of that BTU, and of course they can consume clean energy.
  
  BUT…their power demand scales exponentially with extreme cold, dipping in efficiency when it gets colder and more heat is needed, down to the wildly inefficient emergency heat, which makes 1 BTU of NG .3 in your house. That means for an extreme event you need over 2x as much NG for a heat pump heated house power by an NG peaker compared to if the same house had an NG furnace.
  
  It’s not that simple, of course, but it argues that you want a diverse grid, and also that it’s probably unwise to over-rely on Natural Gas as a power source, regardless of what renewable mix you choose, and especially for back-up. Nukes are an obvious answer, but so is a robust mix of solar, wind, hydro, and even more exotics like tidal and geothermal.
  
  That said…these are engineering problems and we’re good at those when we put our minds to them. Every year we get better heat pumps which perform better in colder weather, and PJM is a great example of an organization that works effectively to solve our grid problems.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. TBill
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Especially if we are banning nat gas pipelines.
    
    Log in to Reply
LarrytheG

February 19, 2021

re: ” The latest news is that the University of Virginia Health System has signed a letter of intent to buy out Novant Health U.Va. Health System, a Northern Virginia regional health system owned and operated by the two companies since 2016. Winston-Salem, N.C.,-based Novant owns 60% of the health system. Under the deal, UVa Health, which owns 40%, will own the whole kit and caboodle.”

I see some good in this. Especially with regard to the use of MyChart which is an electronic Medical Record that is shareable by different providers.

“compeition” is not good at all if the competing providers are not going to share your medical record and each one keeps their own and none of the others can see it.

That’s bad healthcare anyway you cut it – and it’s a primary reason why universal healthcare in others countries leads to longer life expectancies as well as lower costs , less medical mistakes, and less duplication of services like labs and imaging.

“Conservative style” competition in healthcare is a loser to this point.

People will be better off with UVA – they’ll have better access to providers and services. A larger, more diverse UVA can actually subsidize some services in lower population areas… for instance.

Log in to Reply
1. WayneS
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  ““compeition” is not good at all if the competing providers are not going to share your medical record and each one keeps their own and none of the others can see it.
  
  That’s bad healthcare anyway you cut it….”
  
  I’ll agree that it’s bad record-keeping, but it’s not necessarily bad health care. And by the way, competing providers are required to share your medical records if you tell them to.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    re: ” And by the way, competing providers are required to share your medical records if you tell them to.”
    
    Ever try that? getting that record to multiple other providers?
    
    I would argue that UVA expanding their reach is the lesser of the evils.
    
    If there was a requirement that all providers use the same medical record, there would be no need or justification for UVA to expand as any/all providers would be your choice AND your protection against them NOT consulting your actual real medical record instead of what they say you provided to them.
    
    You wanna fix healtcare? Require electronic medical records and let people choose who to get their care from based MORE than just price.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      You make a good point about medical records. The real issue is that they should be your property, not the property of some health care provider. That is an example of where additional government regulation is reasonable and necessary. Patents and copyrights are the property of the owners. Your medical information should be your property. Everything posted to the medic al records of a health care provider about you should be posted to your personal aggregate medic al record as well. That needs to happen whether BigMed likes it or not.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Lord O’mighty!
        
        When you own your medical record – and the provider is legally bound to provide care in accordance with that record (and your medical history) – then you have the freedom to decide, make choices, etc.
        
        I do not understand for the life of me why folks like Jim B and Sherlock do not see this.
      2. Acbar
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        You Are Not A Gadget by that wierdest of persuasive dudes, Jaron Lanier. Own your own data and insist on getting paid for sharing it with anyone else who profits from it.
    2. WayneS
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      “Ever try that? getting that record to multiple other providers?”
      
      Yes. Some stuff (paper files) from 25 years prior had been lost, but the rest of the process went without a hitch.
      
      I keep copies of the most important stuff at my house – most of the newest is in digital form. UVA gave me a stripped down “read-only” version of the software they use to analyze MRIs, CT Scans, x-rays, etc., so I can look at all my past digital scans on my home computer.
      
      My medical records are not all consolidated into a single file or format, but no provider has ever refused to provide a copy of anything I’ve asked for. Everyone should treat their medical records like they are their personal property, because they are.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem making a request and filing out the form before, even when it was between competitors.
LarrytheG

February 19, 2021

re: ” The latest news is that the University of Virginia Health System has signed a letter of intent to buy out Novant Health U.Va. Health System, a Northern Virginia regional health system owned and operated by the two companies since 2016. Winston-Salem, N.C.,-based Novant owns 60% of the health system. Under the deal, UVa Health, which owns 40%, will own the whole kit and caboodle.”

I see some good in this. Especially with regard to the use of MyChart which is an electronic Medical Record that is shareable by different providers.

“compeition” is not good at all if the competing providers are not going to share your medical record and each one keeps their own and none of the others can see it.

That’s bad healthcare anyway you cut it – and it’s a primary reason why universal healthcare in others countries leads to longer life expectancies as well as lower costs , less medical mistakes, and less duplication of services like labs and imaging.

“Conservative style” competition in healthcare is a loser to this point.

People will be better off with UVA – they’ll have better access to providers and services. A larger, more diverse UVA can actually subsidize some services in lower population areas… for instance.

Log in to Reply
1. WayneS
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  “”compeition” is not good at all if the competing providers are not going to share your medical record and each one keeps their own and none of the others can see it.
  
  That’s bad healthcare anyway you cut it….”
  
  I’ll agree that it’s bad record-keeping, but it’s not necessarily bad health care. And by the way, competing providers are required to share your medical records if you tell them to.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    re: ” And by the way, competing providers are required to share your medical records if you tell them to.”
    
    Ever try that? getting that record to multiple other providers?
    
    I would argue that UVA expanding their reach is the lesser of the evils.
    
    If there was a requirement that all providers use the same medical record, there would be no need or justification for UVA to expand as any/all providers would be your choice AND your protection against them NOT consulting your actual real medical record instead of what they say you provided to them.
    
    You wanna fix healtcare? Require electronic medical records and let people choose who to get their care from based MORE than just price.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      You make a good point about medical records. The real issue is that they should be your property, not the property of some health care provider. That is an example of where additional government regulation is reasonable and necessary. Patents and copyrights are the property of the owners. Your medical information should be your property. Everything posted to the medic al records of a health care provider about you should be posted to your personal aggregate medic al record as well. That needs to happen whether BigMed likes it or not.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Lord O’mighty!
        
        When you own your medical record – and the provider is legally bound to provide care in accordance with that record (and your medical history) – then you have the freedom to decide, make choices, etc.
        
        I do not understand for the life of me why folks like Jim B and Sherlock do not see this.
      2. Acbar
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        You Are Not A Gadget by that wierdest of persuasive dudes, Jaron Lanier. Own your own data and insist on getting paid for sharing it with anyone else who profits from it.
    2. WayneS
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      “Ever try that? getting that record to multiple other providers?”
      
      Yes. Some stuff (paper files) from 25 years prior had been lost, but the rest of the process went without a hitch.
      
      I keep copies of the most important stuff at my house – most of the newest is in digital form. UVA gave me a stripped down “read-only” version of the software they use to analyze MRIs, CT Scans, x-rays, etc., so I can look at all my past digital scans on my home computer.
      
      My medical records are not all consolidated into a single file or format, but no provider has ever refused to provide a copy of anything I’ve asked for. Everyone should treat their medical records like they are their personal property, because they are.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I don’t think I’ve ever had a problem making a request and filing out the form before, even when it was between competitors.
Eric the Half a Troll

February 19, 2021

“Anyone who does not think the same thing could happen in Virginia as we hurtle toward a zero-carbon (and potentially zer0-nuclear) energy grid is homicidally naive.”

Having learned nothing, JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables even though the TX grid collapse was found to be due to deregulation and the failure of delivery of fossil fuels. SMH.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  ” JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables”
  
  AGAIN! as if all the facts coming out about the fossil fuel freeze-up was fake news!
  
  geeze !
  
  Beliefs are stronger than facts!
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. James A. Bacon
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    No, I’m not striking out against renewables. I’m striking out against the wholesale transformation of Virginia’s electric grid engineered on arbitrary deadlines with the politicians calling the shots.
    
    Log in to Reply
2. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  “Having learned nothing, JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables even though the TX grid collapse was found to be due to deregulation and the failure of delivery of fossil fuels.”
  
  So you admit that the delivery of fossil fuels is important? The added capacity from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would not have been a bad thing. Systems sometimes fail and excess capacity can save the day. If we have it.
  
  The plan also called for the ability to produce and export liquid natural gas from Virginia. That too would have come in handy for situations like Texas where the natural gas that was urgently needed for power generation wasn’t available.
  
  “Production of natural gas in the state has plunged, making it difficult for power plants to get the fuel necessary to run the plants. Natural gas power plants usually don’t have very much fuel storage on site, experts said. Instead, the plants rely on the constant flow of natural gas from pipelines that run across the state from areas like the Permian Basin in West Texas to major demand centers like Houston and Dallas.”
  
  https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/
  
  Facts matter.
  
  Here’s another fact. Environmentalists want homeowners to abandon all use of fossil fuels to heat their homes, heat their water, cook their food, and power their vehicles. Does going all electric add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
  
  Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
  Electric stove – 60 amp feed
  Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
  Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed
  
  How much power does it take to run the fan for a natural gas forced air furnace? 600 watts. Do the math.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    It don’t matter how much fossil fuel you have if it is freezing in the wellheads and pipelines..
    
    Texas is overrrun with gas but their infrastructure was not designed for freezing weather so it froce up.
    
    The ACC was not needed. It was purely a for-profit private venture that would have sold the gas at a profit that benefited the investors. It was not a public “need” because they were also planning to sell it to the highest bidder even if overseas. You don’t use the police powers of government to take land away from private property owners to give to others for their profit.
    
    And I’m not clear on what you think the government role is in this.
    
    Are the advocating that the government pick winners and losers on what property owners can do with their own land?
    
    Would you support the government taking private property for “affordable housing” or a Walmart because of “need”?
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Matt Adams
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Natural Gas isn’t freezing in wellheads. For that to occur, a temperature of approx. -260 degrees F would need to be sustained. While Texas is cold, it isn’t that cold.
      
      The pumps used to pull it to the service do not have electricality to operator. Along with temperatures to cold for workers to safely work outside for a prolonged time. There is an increased demand for NG because a vast majority of house heating uses NG in Texas, thereby not leaving any for power generation.
      
      Beyond that you have Boyle’s Law, Charle’s Law, Gay-Lussac’s Law and Avogadro’s Law telling you that at colder temps NG will be less prevent because it will have condensed.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        more facts for the willfully clueless:
        
        ” Natural gas wells and pipes ill-equipped for cold weather are a big reason why millions of Texans lost power during frigid temperatures this week. As temperatures dropped to record lows across some parts of the state, liquid inside wells, pipes, and valves froze solid.
        
        Ice can block gas flow, clogging pipes. It’s a phenomenon called a “freeze-off” that disrupts gas production across the US every winter. But freeze-offs can have outsized effects in Texas, as we’ve seen this week. The state is a huge natural gas producer — and it doesn’t usually have to deal with such cold weather.
        
        TEXAS RELIES ON NATURAL GAS MORE THAN ANY OTHER FUEL FOR ITS ELECTRICITY GENERATION
        “When we think about what’s been going on in the last week and why it’s turned the market completely on its head is the fact that the freeze offs are occurring in Texas,” says Erika Coombs, director of oil & gas products at research firm BTU Analytics.
        
        Texas relies on natural gas more than any other fuel for its electricity generation. Gas generated nearly half of the state’s electricity in 2019, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Wind and coal each accounted for about 20 percent of electricity generation that year, while nuclear made up about another 10 percent. While nuclear and wind power have been hampered by the storm, neither frigid nuclear plants nor frozen wind turbines bear the largest share of responsibility for Texas’ power problems.
        
        “It appears that a lot of the generation that has gone offline today has been primarily due to issues on the natural gas system,” Dan Woodfin, senior director of system operations at ERCOT, said during a call with reporters on February 16th, the Texas Tribune reported.
        
        While the frigid cold slashed fuel supplies of all sorts, it also drove up demand for natural gas to heat homes. That “mismatch” is what’s driving these blackouts, says Coombs. There simply hasn’t been enough fuel on hand to power the state’s electricity needs. Natural gas production was pretty much halved in Texas and its gas-rich Permian Basin during the recent cold and stormy weather.”
        
        https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/17/22287130/texas-natural-gas-production-power-outages-frozen
        
        Lots of other media reporting that is consistent.
      2. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        While your article validated my statement (of the science) it doesn’t validate the notion that the NG froze. NG does not freeze unless temperatures are approaching 1 degree Kelvin.
        
        Pipes condensate, which inserts water into them. That water vapor freezes and clogs pipes, not the NG.
        
        All forms of power generation failed from the extreme temperatures, I was explaining to you the science behind it and correcting your assertion that the NG froze.
        
        Texas power generation for winter is set at 80%;
        
        30% of the allocation for FF failed because of supply.
        6% of FF generation was offline for winter maintenance.
        50% of the allocation for Green failed because operation equipment.
        
        Instead of arguing with me because you don’t like me, read what I wrote and understand it for once.
      3. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Not _my_ article. One of dozen or more from authoritative sources that also say (and you do not) that NG has water in it. It comes out of the ground that way and the wellheads freeze.
        
        ” A blast of arctic air that covered a large swath of the US and dipped as far south as the Gulf coast has resulted in natural gas well freeze-offs and pipeline curtailments, helping to cause widespread power outages in Texas.”
        
        https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2187515-winter-storm-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-update
        
        you’re simply being dishonest here just to try to prove a point.
        
        this is what you do here.
      4. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        From your very own F’n citation.
        
        “Previous cold snaps in west Texas have resulted in equipment failures at processing facilities alongside wellhead disruptions, lowering production for the region, analysts with Energy Aspects said. Gas production freeze-offs occur when water and other liquids in the gas mixture freezes, stunting output. Power losses to natural gas processing plants near the wellhead can also restrain production.”
        
        For the sake of brevity, stop being so f’n argumentative when you don’t have the first iota of a clue what you’re talking about.
        
        CH4 doesn’t freeze unless it’s approaching 1 degree Kelvin.
    2. WayneS
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      “You don’t use the police powers of government to take land away from private property owners to give to others for their profit.”
      
      They do in Connecticut – and the Supremes said it’s constitutional…
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        They did and it was vociferously disagreed with:
        
        https://ij.org/case/kelo/
        
        ” The fight over Fort Trumbull eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Court in 2005, in one of the most controversial rulings in its history, held that economic development was a “public use” under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
        
        The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision against Kelo and her neighbors sparked a nation-wide backlash against eminent domain abuse, leading eight state supreme courts and 43 state legislatures to strengthen protections for property rights. ”
        
        Thing is, you’d expect those who talk about liberty and the abuses of govt to agree!
      2. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Stop. Right now. I do not need another one of your condescending lectures.
        
        I am well aware of what happened in Kelo v. City of New London and its aftermath.
        
        My statement regarding the terrible decision in that case was 100% accurate.
      3. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Context is important and relevant. The original point was about the rightness or wrongess of the govt allowing the private sector to use the police power of govt to essentially make a profit.
        
        I stand by my comments on that. It’s still a relevant issue.
        
        Not sure when you got condescension from…
      4. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Your entire comment was an exercise in condescension and know-it-all-ism.
        
        The fact is, various public utilities are given some level of power of eminent domain in societies which want their citizens to be able to avail themselves of the various public utilities. And even with all the [relatively] new protections put in place after Kelo, public utilities still have some level of power of eminent domain in Virginia.
      5. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Well no. You got that wrong as usual and your lame excuse was not good either.
        
        ” The fact is, various public utilities are given some level of power of eminent domain in societies which want their citizens to be able to avail themselves of the various public utilities.”
        
        Yes… And the relevant criteria is public need – in the eyes of the public not in the eyes of those professing to provide it.
        
        That means that not any fool who comes down the road can claim they are fulfilling a public need by their for-profit venture that requires the taking of private property.
        
        A public utility, by the way, is not a private entity. When you say “public utility” it means something other than private and for profit.
        
        Is a public school different from a private school in terms of justifying the taking of property for that purpose.
        
        Both of you have not answered that question and instead deflect.
      6. Eric the Half a Troll
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “Your entire comment was an exercise in condescension and know-it-all-ism.
        
        The fact is,…”
        
        🤦‍♂️
Eric the Half a Troll

February 19, 2021

“Anyone who does not think the same thing could happen in Virginia as we hurtle toward a zero-carbon (and potentially zer0-nuclear) energy grid is homicidally naive.”

Having learned nothing, JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables even though the TX grid collapse was found to be due to deregulation and the failure of delivery of fossil fuels. SMH.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  ” JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables”
  
  AGAIN! as if all the facts coming out about the fossil fuel freeze-up was fake news!
  
  geeze !
  
  Beliefs are stronger than facts!
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. James A. Bacon
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    No, I’m not striking out against renewables. I’m striking out against the wholesale transformation of Virginia’s electric grid engineered on arbitrary deadlines with the politicians calling the shots.
    
    Log in to Reply
2. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  “Having learned nothing, JAB boldly uses the near collapse of the TX grid to strike out at renewables even though the TX grid collapse was found to be due to deregulation and the failure of delivery of fossil fuels.”
  
  So you admit that the delivery of fossil fuels is important? The added capacity from the Atlantic Coast Pipeline would not have been a bad thing. Systems sometimes fail and excess capacity can save the day. If we have it.
  
  The plan also called for the ability to produce and export liquid natural gas from Virginia. That too would have come in handy for situations like Texas where the natural gas that was urgently needed for power generation wasn’t available.
  
  “Production of natural gas in the state has plunged, making it difficult for power plants to get the fuel necessary to run the plants. Natural gas power plants usually don’t have very much fuel storage on site, experts said. Instead, the plants rely on the constant flow of natural gas from pipelines that run across the state from areas like the Permian Basin in West Texas to major demand centers like Houston and Dallas.”
  
  https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/
  
  Facts matter.
  
  Here’s another fact. Environmentalists want homeowners to abandon all use of fossil fuels to heat their homes, heat their water, cook their food, and power their vehicles. Does going all electric add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
  
  Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
  Electric stove – 60 amp feed
  Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
  Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed
  
  How much power does it take to run the fan for a natural gas forced air furnace? 600 watts. Do the math.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    It don’t matter how much fossil fuel you have if it is freezing in the wellheads and pipelines..
    
    Texas is overrrun with gas but their infrastructure was not designed for freezing weather so it froce up.
    
    The ACC was not needed. It was purely a for-profit private venture that would have sold the gas at a profit that benefited the investors. It was not a public “need” because they were also planning to sell it to the highest bidder even if overseas. You don’t use the police powers of government to take land away from private property owners to give to others for their profit.
    
    And I’m not clear on what you think the government role is in this.
    
    Are the advocating that the government pick winners and losers on what property owners can do with their own land?
    
    Would you support the government taking private property for “affordable housing” or a Walmart because of “need”?
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Matt Adams
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Natural Gas isn’t freezing in wellheads. For that to occur, a temperature of approx. -260 degrees F would need to be sustained. While Texas is cold, it isn’t that cold.
      
      The pumps used to pull it to the service do not have electricality to operator. Along with temperatures to cold for workers to safely work outside for a prolonged time. There is an increased demand for NG because a vast majority of house heating uses NG in Texas, thereby not leaving any for power generation.
      
      Beyond that you have Boyle’s Law, Charle’s Law, Gay-Lussac’s Law and Avogadro’s Law telling you that at colder temps NG will be less prevent because it will have condensed.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        While your article validated my statement (of the science) it doesn’t validate the notion that the NG froze. NG does not freeze unless temperatures are approaching 1 degree Kelvin.
        
        Pipes condensate, which inserts water into them. That water vapor freezes and clogs pipes, not the NG.
        
        All forms of power generation failed from the extreme temperatures, I was explaining to you the science behind it and correcting your assertion that the NG froze.
        
        Texas power generation for winter is set at 80%;
        
        30% of the allocation for FF failed because of supply.
        6% of FF generation was offline for winter maintenance.
        50% of the allocation for Green failed because operation equipment.
        
        Instead of arguing with me because you don’t like me, read what I wrote and understand it for once.
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Not _my_ article. One of dozen or more from authoritative sources that also say (and you do not) that NG has water in it. It comes out of the ground that way and the wellheads freeze.
        
        ” A blast of arctic air that covered a large swath of the US and dipped as far south as the Gulf coast has resulted in natural gas well freeze-offs and pipeline curtailments, helping to cause widespread power outages in Texas.”
        
        https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2187515-winter-storm-cuts-us-natural-gas-production-update
        
        you’re simply being dishonest here just to try to prove a point.
        
        this is what you do here.
      3. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        From your very own F’n citation.
        
        “Previous cold snaps in west Texas have resulted in equipment failures at processing facilities alongside wellhead disruptions, lowering production for the region, analysts with Energy Aspects said. Gas production freeze-offs occur when water and other liquids in the gas mixture freezes, stunting output. Power losses to natural gas processing plants near the wellhead can also restrain production.”
        
        For the sake of brevity, stop being so f’n argumentative when you don’t have the first iota of a clue what you’re talking about.
        
        CH4 doesn’t freeze unless it’s approaching 1 degree Kelvin.
    2. WayneS
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      “You don’t use the police powers of government to take land away from private property owners to give to others for their profit.”
      
      They do in Connecticut – and the Supremes said it’s constitutional…
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Stop. Right now. I do not need another one of your condescending lectures.
        
        I am well aware of what happened in Kelo v. City of New London and its aftermath.
        
        My statement regarding the terrible decision in that case was 100% accurate.
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Context is important and relevant. The original point was about the rightness or wrongess of the govt allowing the private sector to use the police power of govt to essentially make a profit.
        
        I stand by my comments on that. It’s still a relevant issue.
        
        Not sure when you got condescension from…
      3. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Your entire comment was an exercise in condescension and know-it-all-ism.
        
        The fact is, various public utilities are given some level of power of eminent domain in societies which want their citizens to be able to avail themselves of the various public utilities. And even with all the [relatively] new protections put in place after Kelo, public utilities still have some level of power of eminent domain in Virginia.
      4. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Well no. You got that wrong as usual and your lame excuse was not good either.
        
        ” The fact is, various public utilities are given some level of power of eminent domain in societies which want their citizens to be able to avail themselves of the various public utilities.”
        
        Yes… And the relevant criteria is public need – in the eyes of the public not in the eyes of those professing to provide it.
        
        That means that not any fool who comes down the road can claim they are fulfilling a public need by their for-profit venture that requires the taking of private property.
        
        A public utility, by the way, is not a private entity. When you say “public utility” it means something other than private and for profit.
        
        Is a public school different from a private school in terms of justifying the taking of property for that purpose.
        
        Both of you have not answered that question and instead deflect.
      5. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        They did and it was vociferously disagreed with:
        
        https://ij.org/case/kelo/
        
        ” The fight over Fort Trumbull eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Court in 2005, in one of the most controversial rulings in its history, held that economic development was a “public use” under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
        
        The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision against Kelo and her neighbors sparked a nation-wide backlash against eminent domain abuse, leading eight state supreme courts and 43 state legislatures to strengthen protections for property rights. ”
        
        Thing is, you’d expect those who talk about liberty and the abuses of govt to agree!
      6. Eric the Half a Troll
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “Your entire comment was an exercise in condescension and know-it-all-ism.
        
        The fact is,…”
        
        🤦‍♂️
TBill

February 19, 2021

Re: Texas, I think we need to look at how many coal-fired power plants have been (1) shut Down, and (2) cancelled. I believe it is an enormous change of plans due to (1) renewables and (2) cheaper natural gas since fracking.

Meanwhile to hear the Liberals spin it, they are extremely upset at the lack of progress and they want to see heads roll, and US industry destroyed ASAP. Any use of combustion must be vilified and banned.

Part of the problem is that growth of population makes it harder and harder. But we are making huge changes, I never thought I’d see coal burning fall back as it has in the USA.

Log in to Reply
1. Steve Haner
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  It all failed in Texas, wind and fossil fuel and even nuclear production dropped.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Actual lessons from Texas:
    
    Critical infrastructure supporting the power grid must be winterized for greater extremes of cold (and heat?)
    
    Excess capacity is a good thing
    
    Some on-site storage of fossil fuels at generating facilities is a good thing
    
    Homeowners should maintain some heating capacity that is independent of the electric grid
    
    Water and sewage treatment systems should have backup power.
    
    I’m sure there are others.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      much more important than “excess capacity” is infrastructure that is hardened to weather events.
      
      and “excess capacity” that comes at the expense of some to the benefit of others is Un-American. If there is a true public-need, there is a process for that. It it is a for-profit private venture -then it’s on you.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “much more important than “excess capacity” is infrastructure that is hardened to weather events.”
        
        Your inability to read is showing itself again. Winterization was my very first point. That was not a random event. You seem to want to argue even about matters of agreement.
        
        And regarding excess capacity, here’s a quote from your own comments.
        
        “There simply hasn’t been enough fuel on hand to power the state’s electricity needs.”
        
        And given the above, you still choose to rail against having excess capacity to survive multiple system failures and higher than predicted demand? That’s not rational.
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        context is important especially when quoting…
        
        ”
        
        And regarding excess capacity, here’s a quote from your own comments.
        
        “There simply hasn’t been enough fuel on hand to power the state’s electricity needs.”
        
        And given the above, you still choose to rail against having excess capacity to survive multiple system failures and higher than predicted demand? That’s not rational.
        
        Did you read the PJM link I sent you?
        
        It explains an important concept in capacity planning.
        
        You just don’t grab any and all “capacity”… “just in case”.
        
        That’s fiscally irresponsible and morally so if you’re using the government to justify taking others’ property for it.
        
        You have to determine what is actually justifiable “need” and what police powers of government are justified.
        
        You cannot have any old tom, dick and harry make an argument that any/all capacity is “good” and therefore they should be allowed to take others property to provide that capacity.
        
        Any old fool that says we need more Walmarts or WaWa and therefor the govt should condemn land for that purpose because people “need” food and fuel?
        
        What’s the difference? Just claiming a “need” is no where near sufficient.
        
        but go read the PJM link about how they deal with “capacity planning” and come back..
        
        https://www.pjm.com/markets-and-operations/rpm.aspx
        
        When PJM comes back and says there is a “need” then you know it’s not just some profit-seeking entrepreneurs and the justification is there.
        
        Texas ERCOT, by the way, apparently does not do this, i.e. they do not pay for stand-by.
      3. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        There’s obviously no need for additional natural gas capacity if power companies are mandated to migrate to other power generation methods.
        
        The question is, how will that work out in the long run for Virginia? Time will tell. California’s track record doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy.
        
        How about if you answer my question?
        
        Does going all electric as environmentalists are pushing add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
        
        Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
        Electric stove – 60 amp feed
        Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
        Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed (most families have more than one vehicle)
      4. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        so – two answers maybe
        
        1. – how much electricity do we need to plan for – and do we pay power plants to provide standby power? That’s capacity planning that PJM does. They actually pay providers to stand-by while ERCOT is said to have not and just depended on whatever was available.
        
        In terms of the second question of much more “electric” than fossil fuels – like NG …
        
        to wit:
        
        ” Does going all electric as environmentalists are pushing add or subtract from the load on the power grid?
        
        Electric furnace – 60 amp feed
        Electric stove – 60 amp feed
        Electric water heater – 30 amp feed
        Electric power station for one electric vehicle – 50 amp feed (most families have more than one vehicle)”
        
        Yes. All of that does need to be incorporated into planning for grid capacity and Dominion does that with their Integrated Resource Plan.
        
        Beyond that –
        
        hot water tanks verses on demand hot water
        geothermal HVAC instead of air HVAC
        per room zone heating versus whole house or upper/lower.
        electric vehicles from solar during day at work?
        
        All of these factors need to go into analysis.
        
        And if Dominion does that and says they actually do need more power, then we acton it.
        
        But the question is – do we presuppose it should only be met with gas or nukes instead of wind/solar?
        
        that’s more complex. wind/solar done right – actually can reduce costs ……. especially if we start exporting NG. I hear that NG is increasing in price dramatically, no?
        
        ” US oil and natural gas prices rise as freezing temperatures leave millions without power in Texas”
        
        When the cost of power goes up – people find ways to conserve.
        
        The most expensive places for electricity – also use a lot less electricity.
      5. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Your comments appear to be from what you have read, without the benefit of first hand experience.
        
        I have a heat pump, and it still requires a 60 amp feed.
        
        Heating only the rooms in use is not a new concept, nor does it require sophisticated technology. We shut off the air vents in unused rooms.
        
        Several days without power in the midst of winter changes one’s perspective of going all electric. I am now planning to head in the other direction with a goal of becoming more independent of the electrical grid, at least for outages.
        
        All the PJM studies in the world won’t heat your home when an ice storm takes out the power. Unless of course they send me printed versions which I can burn to keep from freezing.
        
        “The most expensive places for electricity – also use a lot less electricity.”
        
        Environmentalists support higher energy costs, and you seem to as well. But that’s okay with you because the government will take money from some people to give to others.
        
        Eminent domain is a mute issue since any viable plan will require taking land and easements somewhere. Electric power won’t even make it down your own street without easements. Your protestations about land rights are hypocritical. And no, I don’t support taking land for a Walmart.
        
        You seem to fixate on the fact that energy producers turn a profit. Companies that don’t make a profit go out of business.
        
        I don’t want the government to own the energy sector of the economy. The government owned power company in Puerto Rico was a complete disaster.
      6. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        in terms of backup and redundancy – yep – been there and done that myself… good strategy…!
        
        BUT if you REALLY want to do it serious – consider a geo-HVAC – it will keep your house warm with a simple pump. You’ll need a supplementary heat source for comfort but the basic geo unit will keep he house from freezing.
        
        Ditto for zone heating. You can heat one room for a lot less than trying to heat them all… especially ones you are not in.
        
        So yes, that is taking more personal responsibility than depending on PJM or govt or folks who want to make a profit selling you stuff
        
        I don’t support high energy costs but I point out that when energy costs are cheap we won’t invest in more frugal approaches and more redundancy. Again, your responsibility.
        
        Eminent Domain is about what a legitimate public need is AND whether it can or will be provided at a profit so let me give you another example. A school. Do you support using eminent domain for a public school? How about a private school?
      7. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I doubt that schools require eminent domain. I would need to see a specific example. Overall, I would agree that eminent domain has been abused.
        
        As for heat, the technology we’re planning to bring into our home is called “fire.” Wood is a plentiful and renewable resource around our home and the new wood burning stoves are very clean and efficient.
        
        https://youtu.be/RwXMm4X2DNU
      8. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Yeah , we did wood for years then I got older and lazier!
        
        😉
        
        We have tons of wood on the lot and i do have a chain-saw and other stuff to haul but the wood stove in the basement and it’s chimney is gone.
        
        My grandfather heated with wood and had a register in the hallway 4×4 and the “stove” was a large thing in the basement that you could easily throw 10 or more rounds in… and not come back for hours.
        
        Wood is good. And on several acres of land – there is often a steady supply of dead and dying trees.. no need to cut living ones…
      9. Nathan
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        And wood brings back good memories of my childhood.
        
        It’s been said that wood heats you twice. Once when cutting, hauling and splitting, and again when burning.
        
        I don’t mind the work.
      10. WayneS
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Nathan –
        
        “Several days without power in the midst of winter changes one’s perspective of going all electric. ”
        
        Indeed it does. It was 47 degrees F in the master bedroom of my house on Monday morning.
  2. WayneS
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    “It all failed in Texas, wind and fossil fuel and even nuclear production dropped.”
    
    Wow. It has to be COLD to make those atoms stop splitting.
    
    😉
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Matt Adams
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Well according to Larry the NG froze in the pipes so it’s at least -260 F for a sustained period of time.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        Nope, not me. The reality being reported from the sites where they froze up because they are not pure NG – they have water in it.
        
        Just listen to authoritative reports. I know that’s hard for you but it is the truth.
        
        ” Why do oil wells shut during the freeze?
        
        Natural gas, when pulled straight from shale wells as a byproduct of oil extraction, carries water vapors that can freeze and clog pipes. The well must then be closed off — or “shut-in,” in the terminology of the industry. Another issue is with gas compressors, which are used to inject gas to pump liquids out of a well. At low temperatures, the gas that is injected into the well may liquefy inside the compressor, causing the equipment to go down and bringing the well to a halt. Then there’s the problem of the power outages that vexed Texas for several days. Oil production is vastly dependent on electricity supplied by the grid, so like other industries, it’s vulnerable to outages.”
        
        2. How long does it take for wells to unfreeze?
        
        Frozen water vapor takes longer to melt than water. Most producers just wait for warmer weather to set in, after which it might take 24 hours for the pipes to be completely clear. Some may choose to pump antifreeze into the pipe, but the cost may be prohibitive at a time when oil demand has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels. On Feb. 18, the highs in Midland, Texas, in the heart of the Permian Basin, were still below freezing.
        
        https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/how-texass-freeze-knocked-out-40percent-of-us-oil-output/2021/02/18/a2f5bfac-7232-11eb-8651-6d3091eac63f_story.html
        
        this is the very same info you can access also but insist on spinning false narratives…instead.
      2. Matt Adams
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        “Just listen to authoritative reports. I know that’s hard for you but it is the truth.”
        
        Oh the irony, oh the irony.
        
        Please, in your citation point to where it diverges from what I’ve told you?
        
        “this is the very same info you can access also but insist on spinning false narratives…instead.”
        
        Well the Washington Post has a paywall, but I don’t need to access it because it’s already what I said.
        
        Again, you don’t like me therefore you just want to argue for the sake of it. Your initial statement regarding freezing of wellheads was false, the NG didn’t freeze. The water vapor and other impurities that can wind up in that system through numerous other ways did.
        
        Hey what do I know, it’s not like I didn’t have air switches on the railroad that were a bear to keep going during cold PA winters. My maintainer didn’t have to pour methanol into the lines to keep the storage take form blocking with ice at all.
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      the thing is – if you can’t produce enough power to meet demand at the point that you want to bring power back online – it goes back down – even the nukes… You have to disconnect from the grid if you cannot deliver what it is demanding, no?
      
      Works like that for a home generator also, right?
      
      too much draw just trips it off…, no?
      
      Log in to Reply
djrippert

February 19, 2021

This is the best sentence from the relatively long National Review article on Virginia schools:

“Taliaferro, who is involved with the parent group Open Fairfax County Schools, said there are plenty of parties who deserve blame for keeping schools closed: the “teachers unions who don’t want to go back to school,” the “school boards who aren’t willing to call their bluff,” and Northam.”

The three stooges of the educational apocalypse …

1. Teachers’ Unions (or their equivalents)
2. School boards
3. Ralph Northam

I’d add one more – sniveling, whining, braying liberal politicians who demand that the science be followed until science negatively affects one of their special interest groups … in this case, public school teachers.

Where is McAuliffe on this issue? Where are Virginia’s professional journalists on getting clear comments from the candidates for governor on what they propose?

This will end this summer when our feckless governor will flex his “emergency powers” to reopen the schools this fall rather than face the electoral meltdown that will happen of the schools are not reopened by November.

As usual, it will not be “science” or “the children” or even the parents who will drive this decision. It will be driven by the likes of Kathleen Murphy desperately trying to get reelected.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Isn’t this also going on across the country?
  
  Is it a liberal/teacher “conspiracy” beyond just Northam and Virginia?
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Please keep in mind, not all teachers support the teacher’s union position on opening of schools. And teachers in Virginia aren’t forced to join the union, yet. Democrats want to change that.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. djrippert
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I imagine that is right although you don’t hear much from active teachers in contradiction to the orthodoxy of their unions and associations.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Nathan
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      Screaming liberals and conservatives who’ve learned to keep their mouth shut is not an unusual situation. Freedom of speech is not supported equally across the political spectrum, especially within education.
      
      I’m obviously very opinionated, but to survive 20 years in higher education required that I keep my views to myself at work.
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      I think you are really selling teachers short. Union or not, teachers have views and their views about the pandemic is that there is a big divide between what people say they want the teachers to do and what they are willing to actually have done to make it safe for teachers.
      
      One of the CDC guidelines is percent of community spread but all these folks that talk about the teachers following “science”, themselves, ignore or discount what the CDC is actually saying:
      
      This is what the CDC is saying and the “get back to school” folks just refuse to acknowledge:
      
      https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/02/12/cdc-table-1_custom-c1b831de48d323b84607ab3d873376e8271d173d.png
      
      How can teachers be ignoring science if they cite these CDC guielines?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. djrippert
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        I have a novel idea about the novel coronavirus – why don’t we let the director of the CDC explain the CDC data?
        
        https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cdc-director-says-schools-can-safely-reopen-without-vaccinating-teachers.html
      2. LarrytheG
        
        February 19, 2021
        
        The thing is , this is the “science” – no?
Nancy_Naive

February 19, 2021

Peter, Larry, myself, et al, are unfortunate. We have no choice.

You guys are lucky. You can choose to change and be a conservative moderating voice in a progressive party, or simply remain a moderating voice in a party dominated by Trump cultists and white supremacists… unless, of course, that’s not a choice for you.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  there’s a certain amount of playing both sides of the street when a lot of what is said is grievances in general against government, institutions and science. – it differs only in degree sometimes… same church different pew.
  
  And that explains the GOP in Virginia and nationally these days also.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I strongly support science AND math. Please see my post above and do the math.
    
    Environmentalists would also do well to acquaint themselves with the science used in gas heaters. Thermopiles and Thermocouples allow them to work safely without any external electricity.
    
    I find it unconscionable that we are being encouraged to abandon potentially life saving heaters, when we know that the power distribution system can fail for extended periods of time.
    
    “3 weather-related deaths in Abilene including man who ‘froze to death’ in his home”
    
    “On Wednesday, a 60-year-old man was found dead in his home in north Abilene.”
    
    “The victim’s wife said they had not had power for three days.”
    
    “AFD crews noted the temperature inside the home felt as cold as the temperature outside.”
    
    “The wife. 72, was taken to the hospital.”
    
    https://ktxs.com/news/local/three-weather-related-deaths-in-abilene
    
    https://ktxs.com/news/local/three-weather-related-deaths-in-abilene
    
    Log in to Reply
2. djrippert
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Yet more babble from an anonymous commenter, a man who uses a woman’s name and a picture of a dog. One choice you have is to post under your own name with your own picture.
  
  “Peter, Larry, myself, et al, are unfortunate. We have no choice.” Are you claiming that being a self-loathing liberal is a genetic condition? What’s next? A demand for state funded counseling for your “unfortunate” condition? Maybe we start by sending all of you a participation trophy. Would that help?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Well, not a Losetarian.
    
    Log in to Reply
  2. TBill
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    picture needed for credibility?
    You do not think this avatar is the real me?
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      TBill, you don’t accuse people of supporting groups dominated by white supremacists. Of course, it was our Democratic governor who showed up pictured in blackface accompanied by a friend in klan robes while nicknamed Coonman. That was “way back” in the mid-1980s when he was a tot of 25 in medical school. But it’s the Republicans who are the white supremacists.
      
      I’ve never seen a klan robe in real life. Not on a relative. Not in a box in the attic. Not at a party. I don’t venerate the architect of Massive Resistance and neither do any of my friends.
      
      The real white supremacists in Virginia have always been members of the plantation elite from central and southeastern Virginia. You know, like Ralph Northam.
      
      If Nancy_Naive wants to cast racial aspersions at broad classes of people he/she/it can at least show the minimal courage to identify himself/herself/itself.
      
      Log in to Reply
Nancy_Naive

February 19, 2021

And this house
44°49’05″N 66°57’30″W · 67.5 ft
is completely off the grid and a year round residence.

Log in to Reply
1. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Can you say “elite”?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nancy_Naive
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    It was on HGTV “Building Off the Grid”
    
    Not terribly expensive. Not like this.
    
    https://newatlas.com/arkup-1-luxury-floating-home/58662/
    
    Log in to Reply
djrippert

February 19, 2021

Grievances against science? You mean like keeping the schools closed contrary to the CDC, the American Pediatric Association and the observable experience in Europe? Like that kind of grievance against science? Look in the mirror Grieve Master.

As far as a general grievance against government – yep, that’s me. We spend ever more of our GDP on government and what do we get? Endless wars, endless crony capitalism and rent seeking, a lack of preparation for a viral outbreak, broken infrastructure, a failing educational system and closed schools. Yes, let’s give more money to government.

The two best things that could happen in America are a massive rollback of government overall and a prioritization of local government over state government.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Yep – and disregarding truth and facts AND SCIENCE like ignoring the latest guidance from the American Pediatric Association AND the CDC.
  
  AND ignoring what is going on in Europe right now with schools.
  
  You want schools to OPEN but you don’t support doing what it takes to open them… trying to have it both ways! Teachers are not fools. They KNOW you don’t have their backs and don’t care what really happens to them !
  
  AND, finally, you’re accusing many if not most of the teachers in the entire country as being opposed to the best interests of education of children.
  
  If you really believe that, then why would you support the concept of public education to start with and instead join other Conservatives who argue to close public schools and have private ones?
  
  You’re playing both sides of the street here, no?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. djrippert
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Why don’t we let Joe Biden’s Director of the CDC explain the science?
    
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cdc-director-says-schools-can-safely-reopen-without-vaccinating-teachers.html
    
    Needless to say, Biden’s press secretary tried to “walk back” the science saying it wasn’t yet “official guidance”.
    
    Meanwhile, Democrats control Congress, the White House and all three branches of Virginia government.
    
    If the schools need something to reopen why aren’t the Democrats providing it?
    
    This is BS Larry and you know it.
    
    In-person teaching is working just fine and dandy in many places in Virginia, especially SouthWest Virginia. It’s been that way the whole academic year. Are the bodies piling up at the schools in SW Virginia?
    
    The “science” and real-world experience says “open”. The leaders of the teachers’ unions and associations, in areas with liberal school boards, say “screw the science, we’re staying closed”.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/office/reopen-status.shtml
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      DJ, you cited CDC as science , right?
      
      which is it?
      
      Log in to Reply
djrippert

February 19, 2021

Grievances against science? You mean like keeping the schools closed contrary to the CDC, the American Pediatric Association and the observable experience in Europe? Like that kind of grievance against science? Look in the mirror Grieve Master.

As far as a general grievance against government – yep, that’s me. We spend ever more of our GDP on government and what do we get? Endless wars, endless crony capitalism and rent seeking, a lack of preparation for a viral outbreak, broken infrastructure, a failing educational system and closed schools. Yes, let’s give more money to government.

The two best things that could happen in America are a massive rollback of government overall and a prioritization of local government over state government.

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Yep – and disregarding truth and facts AND SCIENCE like ignoring the latest guidance from the American Pediatric Association AND the CDC.
  
  AND ignoring what is going on in Europe right now with schools.
  
  You want schools to OPEN but you don’t support doing what it takes to open them… trying to have it both ways! Teachers are not fools. They KNOW you don’t have their backs and don’t care what really happens to them !
  
  AND, finally, you’re accusing many if not most of the teachers in the entire country as being opposed to the best interests of education of children.
  
  If you really believe that, then why would you support the concept of public education to start with and instead join other Conservatives who argue to close public schools and have private ones?
  
  You’re playing both sides of the street here, no?
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. djrippert
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    Why don’t we let Joe Biden’s Director of the CDC explain the science?
    
    https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/03/cdc-director-says-schools-can-safely-reopen-without-vaccinating-teachers.html
    
    Needless to say, Biden’s press secretary tried to “walk back” the science saying it wasn’t yet “official guidance”.
    
    Meanwhile, Democrats control Congress, the White House and all three branches of Virginia government.
    
    If the schools need something to reopen why aren’t the Democrats providing it?
    
    This is BS Larry and you know it.
    
    In-person teaching is working just fine and dandy in many places in Virginia, especially SouthWest Virginia. It’s been that way the whole academic year. Are the bodies piling up at the schools in SW Virginia?
    
    The “science” and real-world experience says “open”. The leaders of the teachers’ unions and associations, in areas with liberal school boards, say “screw the science, we’re staying closed”.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. djrippert
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/health_medical/office/reopen-status.shtml
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. LarrytheG
      
      February 19, 2021
      
      DJ, you cited CDC as science , right?
      
      which is it?
      
      Log in to Reply
Bosun

February 19, 2021

Texas is not connected to the two nation-wide power grids and it’s hard for them to get outside the state power. Also, the natural gas distribution system in Texas was not built to withstand extreme [for them] cold for any length of time and the accompanying pressure drops. So, NG powered power plants, manufacturing and refining had to shut down. Don’t mess with Texas. Bosun

Log in to Reply
1. TBill
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  The other thing the Texas example shows, when Liberals say even the most costly renewables are far cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel, that is of course obfuscation of the facts, but also in the liberals mind, mega Trillion$ required upgrades of the grid and back-up power costs needed etc. should be something the public just pays a lot more for and is not part of the renewables cost.
  
  Log in to Reply
V N

February 19, 2021

Oh Jim, keep on talking about the health area. People care, its just spreading the word to the right people, and keep on spreading.

Log in to Reply
V N

February 19, 2021

Oh Jim, keep on talking about the health area. People care, its just spreading the word to the right people, and keep on spreading.

Log in to Reply
WayneS

February 19, 2021

“Does anybody believe that the interest of patients is paramount in this deal?”

No. That would be similar to believing that the current crop of jackasses who are running Virginia hold the interests of students paramount in their decisions related to our public schools.

Log in to Reply
WayneS

February 19, 2021

“Does anybody believe that the interest of patients is paramount in this deal?”

No. That would be similar to believing that the current crop of jackasses who are running Virginia hold the interests of students paramount in their decisions related to our public schools.

Log in to Reply
James A. Bacon

February 19, 2021

I checked the website of PJM, Virginia’s regional transmission organization, to see what it might say. PJM’s No. 1 priority is ensuring the reliability of the electric grid.

“PJM has a large, multi-state geographic footprint, a diverse fuel mix and a robust reserve margin, and engages in regional transmission planning and winter preparation, all of which support grid reliability. PJM and its member companies plan throughout the year for winter conditions, and fortunately, because of the normal weather patterns in our region, most plants are constructed in anticipation of freezing temperatures. In addition, PJM analyzes the expected demand for electricity, weather predictions and other factors to develop its forecast for winter operations and to procure the necessary resources using its competitive markets. PJM also works with members to prepare for cold weather by testing resources, conducting drills and surveying generators for fuel inventory.

“The peak load reached this week was approximately 117,000 MW, according to preliminary estimates. PJM’s all-time winter peak is 143,295 MW, set on Feb. 20, 2015. …

“PJM’s preparation includes everything from increasing staffing for weather emergencies to coordinating maintenance activities that ensure equipment is ready for winter conditions. Before the winter hits, the generators complete a winter checklist and provide PJM confirmation of completion. The extensive preparations of our members, and the close coordination with those members and other stakeholders, allows PJM to prepare for unforeseen outages or other system disruptions.”

Regarding the region’s fuel diversity… Nothing like Texas.

https://www.baconsrebellion.com/app/uploads/2021/02/pjm-fuel-sources.jpg

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  And the part Jim should REALLY LIKE: ” PJM Settlement, Inc. (PJM Settlement) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PJM, organized as a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation, and is a FERC-regulated entity. … PJM Connext, L.L.C. (PJM Connext) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PJM and is not a FERC-regulated entity.”
  
  As far as I know – PJM has to approve new wind/wolar connections to the grid – not Dominion and not the other companies producing power either conventional or renewables.
  
  The thing that PJM does that ERCOT does not is that they pay for Capacity
  
  ” Each PJM member that provides electricity to consumers must acquire enough power supply resources to meet demand not only for today and tomorrow but for the future. Members secure these resources for the future through the PJM capacity market.”
  
  learn.pjm.com/three-priorities/buying-and-selling-energy/capacity-markets.aspx
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Acbar
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  “Before the winter hits, the generators complete a winter checklist and provide PJM confirmation of completion.” This is key.
  
  Fundamentally, you have to understand there is a difference between how ERCOT prices wholesale energy and how PJM does (and most other eastern ISOs). ERCOT — the bulk of Texas, and the part that has minimal connections with the rest of the U.S., for jurisdictional reasons — has an energy market that sells based on marginal cost. Period. PJM has a similar energy market and also has a “capacity” marketplace, both short term and long term, that sells, in effect, guarantees-of-performance. Any load-serving-entity or LSE in PJM must buy enough capacity to serve its maximum annual load, and certify that it has done so, several years in advance to PJM. “Enough” includes a margin for generator equipment and fuel-supply outages which inevitably occur, a percentage fixed by PJM based on past years’ experience. Moreover, what qualifies as “capacity” includes an evaluation of its reliability/dependability, again taking history into account. A lot of generators had to do serious upgrades to their fuel-handling and fuel supply chains in order to meet this “capacity” requirement in the aftermath of the big “Polar Vortex” experiences of the past couple of decades.
  
  Texas’ ERCOT has none of that capacity market stuff going on. Texas relies on firm energy contracts and the fact that when there’s a crisis, like currently, the marginal cost of energy in the energy market rises drastically — normally prices might be in the $0.20 / MWH range and currently we’re talking $3,000+ / MWH for substitute sources of energy (if any) — and avoiding that does supply a substantial incentive to be prepared. But, I suspect the non-deliver of natural gas is a force majeure under many or all of those energy contracts.
  
  In any event, ERCOT has no market mechanism or other financial incentive to look at the reliability of these gas-fired plants supplying its customers, or the windmills that froze for that matter, unlike in PJM.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I think there are legitimate concerns about energy and reliability down the road for Virginia, but Texas is not the best example to use to demonstrate that.
    
    Additionally, the focus on Texas has overshadowed the fact that there are thousands of Virginians who have been without power since last Saturday morning.
    
    With that said, it will be interesting to see if the Texas grid remains separate going forward. Regional cooperation and standards may serve them better. (Just my opinion based solely on the information available at this point. )
    
    Log in to Reply
  2. Acbar
    
    February 20, 2021
    
    Virgini’s current problems are real (I have relatives living near Crewe where there are massive outages that won’t be fixed for another week or so). But — those are distribution wires and poles down, not grid or generation failures — fundamentally different set of problems. As for what happens when you “take out all fossil fuels”: a broad subject worthy of much discussion, but as far as PJM is concerned it will require that LSEs have sufficient reliable generation under contract and renewables, for all their cheap energy benefits, do not fit the definition of “reliable.” That means there will still be a market, a demand, for “reliable capacity.” And the price for it will climb until somebody says, “at that price I’ll build it. That’s how PJM is structured. In short, we can drastically reduce fossil fuel use but it’s not gong to disappear anytime soon.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. LarrytheG
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      so here’s a question. You’ve got this mechanism to insure there is sufficient capacity.
      
      What insures that for a given capacity plant that weather won’t take it down the same way plants in Texas got taken offline?
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. Nathan
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      Distribution may not be the topic of the day but it’s critical. If the grid can’t get power to customers and they freeze to death in the winter, it’s hardly a success.
      
      Burying electric cables helps prevent outages due to ice storms, but I believe it costs about 1 million dollars per mile to do.
      
      That being the case, people shouldn’t be encouraged to be 100% reliant on electricity from the power company for everything important to their survival and well being.
      
      Southside still has about 20,000 customers without power. I’m betting most have been without it for the last week.
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. LarrytheG
        
        February 20, 2021
        
        To add to this. We actually do have one mile of underground electric cable to the house BUT we also do have weather-related outages when trees come down on the above-ground lines that feed our underground line.
        
        We’ve been down several days- several times.
      2. Nathan
        
        February 20, 2021
        
        Only as strong as the weakest link.
    3. James A. Bacon
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      Acbar, let’s explore the capacity issue. On the one hand, the state is mandated to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050. On the other hand, PJM says utilities must reserve sufficient capacity to meet PJM’s reliability standards. Presumably, not all of that capacity can be renewable — it has to be dispatchable. In a showdown between state mandates and PJM requirements, who wins?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Nathan
        
        February 20, 2021
        
        The political party that touts its belief in science (and presumably math):
        
        Hates all fossil fuels
        Hates nuclear
        Hates damns which are necessary for hydroelectric
        
        So when ice covers the land and it isn’t sunny or windy, we’re screwed.
        
        But not to worry. When that happens, I’m sure AOC will be sure to come down with a couple million to make everything better.
        
        “AOC raises $3.2 million for Texas amid weather crisis”
        
        https://www.foxnews.com/politics/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-houston-relief-aid-texans-weather-crisis
        
        Wonder how AOC made it down to Texas. Was it a solar powered airplane?
      2. Nathan
        
        February 21, 2021
        
        We’ve seen how professionals will compromise the science for political correctness, and causes that are important to them. Remember how Coronavirus restrictions took a vacation for the rioters?
        
        Will PJM face similar pressures from the climate change crowd? I think we know that answer to that question.
        
        Take a look at the article at the link below. Is this what Virginia will experience in the decades to come because of decisions being made now?
        
        “DEADLY FREEZE Texas vet, 75, who had no electricity for O2 tank & boy, 11, with hypothermia in freezing home among 58 dead in blackout”
        
        https://www.thesun.ie/news/6591869/texas-man-o2-tank-boy-hypothermia-58-dead/
3. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Diverse and reliable now. What happens when you take out all fossil fuels?
  
  That’s uncharted territory.
  
  Log in to Reply
James A. Bacon

February 19, 2021

I checked the website of PJM, Virginia’s regional transmission organization, to see what it might say. PJM’s No. 1 priority is ensuring the reliability of the electric grid.

“PJM has a large, multi-state geographic footprint, a diverse fuel mix and a robust reserve margin, and engages in regional transmission planning and winter preparation, all of which support grid reliability. PJM and its member companies plan throughout the year for winter conditions, and fortunately, because of the normal weather patterns in our region, most plants are constructed in anticipation of freezing temperatures. In addition, PJM analyzes the expected demand for electricity, weather predictions and other factors to develop its forecast for winter operations and to procure the necessary resources using its competitive markets. PJM also works with members to prepare for cold weather by testing resources, conducting drills and surveying generators for fuel inventory.

“The peak load reached this week was approximately 117,000 MW, according to preliminary estimates. PJM’s all-time winter peak is 143,295 MW, set on Feb. 20, 2015. …

“PJM’s preparation includes everything from increasing staffing for weather emergencies to coordinating maintenance activities that ensure equipment is ready for winter conditions. Before the winter hits, the generators complete a winter checklist and provide PJM confirmation of completion. The extensive preparations of our members, and the close coordination with those members and other stakeholders, allows PJM to prepare for unforeseen outages or other system disruptions.”

Regarding the region’s fuel diversity… Nothing like Texas.

https://www.baconsrebellion.com/app/uploads/2021/02/pjm-fuel-sources.jpg

Log in to Reply
1. LarrytheG
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  And the part Jim should REALLY LIKE: ” PJM Settlement, Inc. (PJM Settlement) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PJM, organized as a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation, and is a FERC-regulated entity. … PJM Connext, L.L.C. (PJM Connext) is a wholly owned subsidiary of PJM and is not a FERC-regulated entity.”
  
  As far as I know – PJM has to approve new wind/wolar connections to the grid – not Dominion and not the other companies producing power either conventional or renewables.
  
  The thing that PJM does that ERCOT does not is that they pay for Capacity
  
  ” Each PJM member that provides electricity to consumers must acquire enough power supply resources to meet demand not only for today and tomorrow but for the future. Members secure these resources for the future through the PJM capacity market.”
  
  learn.pjm.com/three-priorities/buying-and-selling-energy/capacity-markets.aspx
  
  Log in to Reply
2. Acbar
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  “Before the winter hits, the generators complete a winter checklist and provide PJM confirmation of completion.” This is key.
  
  Fundamentally, you have to understand there is a difference between how ERCOT prices wholesale energy and how PJM does (and most other eastern ISOs). ERCOT — the bulk of Texas, and the part that has minimal connections with the rest of the U.S., for jurisdictional reasons — has an energy market that sells based on marginal cost. Period. PJM has a similar energy market and also has a “capacity” marketplace, both short term and long term, that sells, in effect, guarantees-of-performance. Any load-serving-entity or LSE in PJM must buy enough capacity to serve its maximum annual load, and certify that it has done so, several years in advance to PJM. “Enough” includes a margin for generator equipment and fuel-supply outages which inevitably occur, a percentage fixed by PJM based on past years’ experience. Moreover, what qualifies as “capacity” includes an evaluation of its reliability/dependability, again taking history into account. A lot of generators had to do serious upgrades to their fuel-handling and fuel supply chains in order to meet this “capacity” requirement in the aftermath of the big “Polar Vortex” experiences of the past couple of decades.
  
  Texas’ ERCOT has none of that capacity market stuff going on. Texas relies on firm energy contracts and the fact that when there’s a crisis, like currently, the marginal cost of energy in the energy market rises drastically — normally prices might be in the $0.20 / MWH range and currently we’re talking $3,000+ / MWH for substitute sources of energy (if any) — and avoiding that does supply a substantial incentive to be prepared. But, I suspect the non-deliver of natural gas is a force majeure under many or all of those energy contracts.
  
  In any event, ERCOT has no market mechanism or other financial incentive to look at the reliability of these gas-fired plants supplying its customers, or the windmills that froze for that matter, unlike in PJM.
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. Nathan
    
    February 19, 2021
    
    I think there are legitimate concerns about energy and reliability down the road for Virginia, but Texas is not the best example to use to demonstrate that.
    
    Additionally, the focus on Texas has overshadowed the fact that there are thousands of Virginians who have been without power since last Saturday morning.
    
    With that said, it will be interesting to see if the Texas grid remains separate going forward. Regional cooperation and standards may serve them better. (Just my opinion based solely on the information available at this point. )
    
    Log in to Reply
  2. Acbar
    
    February 20, 2021
    
    Virgini’s current problems are real (I have relatives living near Crewe where there are massive outages that won’t be fixed for another week or so). But — those are distribution wires and poles down, not grid or generation failures — fundamentally different set of problems. As for what happens when you “take out all fossil fuels”: a broad subject worthy of much discussion, but as far as PJM is concerned it will require that LSEs have sufficient reliable generation under contract and renewables, for all their cheap energy benefits, do not fit the definition of “reliable.” That means there will still be a market, a demand, for “reliable capacity.” And the price for it will climb until somebody says, “at that price I’ll build it. That’s how PJM is structured. In short, we can drastically reduce fossil fuel use but it’s not gong to disappear anytime soon.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. LarrytheG
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      so here’s a question. You’ve got this mechanism to insure there is sufficient capacity.
      
      What insures that for a given capacity plant that weather won’t take it down the same way plants in Texas got taken offline?
      
      Log in to Reply
    2. Nathan
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      Distribution may not be the topic of the day but it’s critical. If the grid can’t get power to customers and they freeze to death in the winter, it’s hardly a success.
      
      Burying electric cables helps prevent outages due to ice storms, but I believe it costs about 1 million dollars per mile to do.
      
      That being the case, people shouldn’t be encouraged to be 100% reliant on electricity from the power company for everything important to their survival and well being.
      
      Southside still has about 20,000 customers without power. I’m betting most have been without it for the last week.
      
      Log in to Reply
    3. James A. Bacon
      
      February 20, 2021
      
      Acbar, let’s explore the capacity issue. On the one hand, the state is mandated to generate 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2050. On the other hand, PJM says utilities must reserve sufficient capacity to meet PJM’s reliability standards. Presumably, not all of that capacity can be renewable — it has to be dispatchable. In a showdown between state mandates and PJM requirements, who wins?
      
      Log in to Reply
      1. Nathan
        
        February 20, 2021
        
        The political party that touts its belief in science (and presumably math):
        
        Hates all fossil fuels
        Hates nuclear
        Hates damns which are necessary for hydroelectric
        
        So when ice covers the land and it isn’t sunny or windy, we’re screwed.
        
        But not to worry. When that happens, I’m sure AOC will be sure to come down with a couple million to make everything better.
        
        “AOC raises $3.2 million for Texas amid weather crisis”
        
        https://www.foxnews.com/politics/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-houston-relief-aid-texans-weather-crisis
        
        Wonder how AOC made it down to Texas. Was it a solar powered airplane?
3. Nathan
  
  February 19, 2021
  
  Diverse and reliable now. What happens when you take out all fossil fuels?
  
  That’s uncharted territory.
  
  Log in to Reply
bhnelsen

February 20, 2021

President Ryan proved long ago his interest at UVA is not academic. It is political.

Log in to Reply
bhnelsen

February 20, 2021

President Ryan proved long ago his interest at UVA is not academic. It is political.

Log in to Reply
sherlockj

February 20, 2021

Reason for UVa buying?

I suspect they found that the relationship they had with Novant wasn’t working the way they liked after they sold the share to them some years back. They also may have gotten a good price from a willing seller. See below.

Reason for Novant selling?

They came to Virginia to try to compete in this market. They found their way blocked in every direction by regional monopolies.

Another factor: Novant was working on a merger with Sentara a couple of years ago and it did not work out. Likely one reason was that Novant controlled these Virginia hospitals it is selling back to UVa, and the FTC would have denied the merger for that reason to deny Sentara further expansion in the Commonwealth. Sentara moved on to the proposed Cone Health merger. Cone has hospitals only in North Carolina.

Log in to Reply
sherlockj

February 20, 2021

Reason for UVa buying?

I suspect they found that the relationship they had with Novant wasn’t working the way they liked after they sold the share to them some years back. They also may have gotten a good price from a willing seller. See below.

Reason for Novant selling?

They came to Virginia to try to compete in this market. They found their way blocked in every direction by regional monopolies.

Another factor: Novant was working on a merger with Sentara a couple of years ago and it did not work out. Likely one reason was that Novant controlled these Virginia hospitals it is selling back to UVa, and the FTC would have denied the merger for that reason to deny Sentara further expansion in the Commonwealth. Sentara moved on to the proposed Cone Health merger. Cone has hospitals only in North Carolina.

Log in to Reply
LarrytheG

February 21, 2021

more fact-based reporting from the Wall street Journal

” The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed
The state’s electricity system was considered a model. This week’s outages revealed shortcomings in the market structure.

A fundamental flaw in the freewheeling Texas electricity market left millions powerless and freezing in the dark this week during a historic cold snap.

The core problem: Power providers can reap rewards by supplying electricity to Texas customers, but they aren’t required to do it and face no penalties for failing to deliver during a lengthy emergency.

That led to the fiasco that left millions of people in the nation’s second-most-populous state without power for days. A severe storm paralyzed almost every energy source, from power plants to wind turbines, because their owners hadn’t made the investments needed to produce electricity in subfreezing temperatures.

While power providers collectively failed, the companies themselves didn’t break any rules. Texas officials don’t require plant owners to prepare for the worst by spending extra money to ensure they can continue operating through severe cold or heat. The high prices operators can reap from such periods of peak demand were supposed to be incentive enough for them to invest in safeguarding their equipment from severe weather.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-freeze-power-grid-failure-electricity-market-incentives-11613777856

This is what really harmed people. The Texas approach to the grid.

PJM does exactly NOT what ERCOT does.

If we want fear-mongering in Virginia, suggest that PJM “upgrade” to ERCOT standards or that Virginia and Dominion separate from PJM.

Log in to Reply
1. Nathan
  
  February 21, 2021
  
  At this point, I think JB and every commenter recognizes the benefits of PJM vs ERCOT.
  
  Environmentalists want to take a wrecking ball to the existing PJM and replace it with technologies that have not proven they can completely replace fossil fuels and nuclear power.
  
  Strawman:
  
  “You misrepresented someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
  By exaggerating, misrepresenting, or just completely fabricating someone’s argument, it’s much easier to present your own position as being reasonable, but this kind of dishonesty serves to undermine honest rational debate.”
  
  https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 21, 2021
    
    Nothing dishonest about presenting truth and facts to those who sometimes seem to prefer alternative facts…
    
    The VERY FIRST thing that the Conservative folks brought up was the wind turbines.
    
    Turns out, not even the WSJ is buying that blather.
    
    Log in to Reply
    1. Nathan
      
      February 21, 2021
      
      I’m concerned about the future.
      
      Fact:
      
      Virginia needs substantial amounts of power, even when the sun isn’t shinning or the wind blowing.
      
      https://www.eia.gov/beta/electricity/gridmonitor/expanded-view/electric_overview/balancing_authority/PJM/GenerationByEnergySource-14
      
      Scroll down to energy by source and look where we get the VAST majority of the energy here in PJM land.
      
      Log in to Reply
LarrytheG

February 21, 2021

more fact-based reporting from the Wall street Journal

” The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed
The state’s electricity system was considered a model. This week’s outages revealed shortcomings in the market structure.

A fundamental flaw in the freewheeling Texas electricity market left millions powerless and freezing in the dark this week during a historic cold snap.

The core problem: Power providers can reap rewards by supplying electricity to Texas customers, but they aren’t required to do it and face no penalties for failing to deliver during a lengthy emergency.

That led to the fiasco that left millions of people in the nation’s second-most-populous state without power for days. A severe storm paralyzed almost every energy source, from power plants to wind turbines, because their owners hadn’t made the investments needed to produce electricity in subfreezing temperatures.

While power providers collectively failed, the companies themselves didn’t break any rules. Texas officials don’t require plant owners to prepare for the worst by spending extra money to ensure they can continue operating through severe cold or heat. The high prices operators can reap from such periods of peak demand were supposed to be incentive enough for them to invest in safeguarding their equipment from severe weather.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/texas-freeze-power-grid-failure-electricity-market-incentives-11613777856

This is what really harmed people. The Texas approach to the grid.

PJM does exactly NOT what ERCOT does.

If we want fear-mongering in Virginia, suggest that PJM “upgrade” to ERCOT standards or that Virginia and Dominion separate from PJM.

Log in to Reply
1. Nathan
  
  February 21, 2021
  
  At this point, I think JB and every commenter recognizes the benefits of PJM vs ERCOT.
  
  Environmentalists want to take a wrecking ball to the existing PJM and replace it with technologies that have not proven they can completely replace fossil fuels and nuclear power.
  
  Strawman:
  
  “You misrepresented someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
  By exaggerating, misrepresenting, or just completely fabricating someone’s argument, it’s much easier to present your own position as being reasonable, but this kind of dishonesty serves to undermine honest rational debate.”
  
  https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/strawman
  
  Log in to Reply
  1. LarrytheG
    
    February 21, 2021
    
    Nothing dishonest about presenting truth and facts to those who sometimes seem to prefer alternative facts…
    
    The VERY FIRST thing that the Conservative folks brought up was the wind turbines.
    
    Turns out, not even the WSJ is buying that blather.
    
    Log in to Reply