Energy plan? Who needs one?

It looks like California will be having rolling blackouts to handle their increasing energy demand, which has come in response to record high temperatures. So far there have been 29 heat related deaths in the state, and today temps are expected to reach up to 112 degrees. In St. Louis there have been blackouts that have stranded 200,000 people without electricity, and in Astoria, Queens in NYC 1,000 people have been left without power for nine days.

Word of the People's main man mayor Bloomberg has astonished this blog by backing NYC's power provider Consolidated Edison claiming that,

"Kevin Burke [CEO of Con Ed] deserves a thanks from this city. He's worked as hard as he can every single day since then, as has everybody at Con Ed."

Shocking words coming from the usually populist politician, although the looks from his supporters in the rear during the press conference were priceless, as their stoic faces morphed into gazes of confusion and disbelief. Afterward the Assemblyman for Astoria, Michael Gianaris said,

"Has he not seen what's been reported about the lies they told both to him and to the rest of the city about how many people were affected for days and days and days? This is just astounding to have stood there and heard that."

While this writer admits that Con Edison's continued response has been slack, I'm not so quick to pin all the responsibility on our power company. All across the US there has been a record breaking demand for power, and our current system is not prepared to handle it. It was only two years ago that New York had a blackout which encompassed all of the state and extended into Canada, sparking rumors of terror attacks. In the aftermath there had been discussion about inherent problems with the grid--problems that would only get worse as demand increased, and yet, without significant raises in prices these changes cannot be made unless the federal government helps out. Nuclear power, solar energy and other methods of alternative fuel have not recieved the funding and attention it deserves. When you compare America's policy to that of England and other Western nations (and I'm not even about to discuss Iceland, which makes us all look like cavemen warming ourselves by a fire) you can see that we are extremely far behind.

The continued funding of alt fuel sources is important not only for the environment but for our defense against terrorism. Can anyone imagine what would happen if there was an attack during a power outage? The resulting chaos would reach a biblical, nearly apoplectic level that would make 9/11 look like the first World Trade Center bombing. It is of vital importance that we build new structures before the old ones collapse upon our heads.