Just Bury the Fucking Lines Already

Three times in six years, not-that-unusual storms shut the entire state down.

Not for hours, not for days, but for weeks.

Hundreds of thousands of people - a fifth of the entire state - without heat, without electricity, without even water in the depths of winter. Trapped in their homes by blocked roads, unreachable by civilian emergency agencies, themselves paralyzed. National Guard mobilizing equipment last seen in the Iraqi desert, in order to save lives.

The same insane scenario, played out against solemn promises to prevent it from ever happening again, only to repeat. And repeat again.

This is inexcusable. This is criminal. And this is totally avoidable.

But don't expect the Public Service Commission to figure it out.

Kentucky can take a number of steps to reduce the impact of severe weather on electric infrastructure and other utilities and to improve the preparedness for and response to major power outages, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) said in a report issued today.

The report makes 64 findings and recommendations. It is based upon the PSC review of the September 2008 wind storm and January 2009 ice storm, which caused the two largest power outages in Kentucky’s history.

SNIP

“I can assure you that this Commission is committed to seeing that the lessons of the 2008 wind storm and 2009 ice storm do not go unheeded,” (PSC Chair David) Armstrong said.

Lessons that apparently do not include the blatantly obvious need to bury power lines, starting yesterday.

Placing existing electric lines in Kentucky underground would cost at least $217 billion, a figure that includes only utilities under PSC jurisdiction. The report does not recommend large-scale conversion to underground lines, but recommends that utilities consider conversion to underground lines in specific circumstances, such as lines that are prone to repeated damage.

"Repeated damage." Would that be the power line damage that now costs the state of Kentucky hundreds of millions of dollars every year?

Would that be the damage caused by massive, widespread, skyrocketing unemployment, damage that would be substantially mitigated by a $217 billion, job-creating project to bury power lines across the state?

Would that be the damage caused to working families throughout Kentucky by crushing utility rate increases approved by a corporate-cock-sucking Public Service Commission that works for Big Coal, not the public?

It's going to happen again. If not next year, then the year after. Entire state paralyzed for weeks. A million people trapped without power. A billion dollars to repair the damage.

And the PSC standing by, wringing its hands and whining that there's nothing it can do.