Biden announces $1.3 billion to build new power lines, upgrade aging electric grid

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Biden announces $1.3 billion to build new power lines, upgrade aging electric grid
cnbc.com

President Joe Biden announced Monday a $1.3 billion federal investment to build three new interstate power lines in an effort to upgrade the United States' outdated electric grid and transition it to clean energy.

The electric transmission lines will cross through six states: Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah and Vermont.

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As someone who has worked for a number of transmission companies, $1.3 Billion dollars is a laughable investment. Duke Energy spent the better part of last year trying to find $54 Billion for it's capital investment projects.

Most electric transmission companies in the US spend this much on capital projects on an annual basis. I like the idea of investing in our infrastructure but this is money wasted

You don't even have to click through to the article to read

... to build three new interstate power lines ...

The $1.3B is not intended to upgrade the entire power grid.

Anyone who thought $1.3 B could upgrade the entire power grid is an idiot in the first place.

Maybe $1.3 T.

ONLY $1.3T?

laughs in goverment-sanctioned for-profit public utility monopolies

natural monopolies are fun right? btw the alternative is the joy of the current ISP market, statistically, you are on one of three different providers and have almost no choice

Is that like one major city?

This year's budget of Kansas City Missouri is 2.06 billion. It is the 37th most populous city in the US.

It’s 1/10th the funny money we sent to Israel on a whim. Are we supposed to be satisfied by this?

Bankrupting America's future by investing in it. Classic Biden. I bet that investment doesn't even begin to shield U.S. electrical systems from a potentially catastrophic Carrington event. How is it modernizing anything if it can leave us in the stone age?

That's why you should vote for literally anything else.

Does it hurt being you? The grid is old and needs to be upgraded. Corporate power companies take subsidies and money from the gov't as a motivator to upgrade their lines and infrastructure but they never do and those same lines fail over and over.

What is your solution then? Who should upgrade infrastructure and who should pay for it? You've done nothing but complain while offering nothing to the conversation. You are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

It’s like Biden is so singularly capable of helping Israel commit genocide, but so incapable of doing anything else. Guess we better vote for trump, he’ll bring the best peace to the Middle East. Everybody says so.

All the best people are saying so! Plus he’ll end the war in Ukraine!*

  • by cutting off funding and letting Putin take whatever land he wants, but you know, details aren’t important right now

Anyway, that’s the common fascist trope, right? The groups they make their enemies are made out to be super-powerful at doing bad things, but unworthy and incompetent at anything positive. Huh…. Oh wait, that’s more projection from them.

Does it hurt being you?

Part of being a contrarian is making sure that people I agree with don't fall for some basic bullshit.

Had you just went with the good point about the planned infrastructure not able to stand up to a Carrington event, fine. That's contrarian. I agree. It should be a resilient as possible to not just extreme weather, but CMEs too.

The thing is that 1.3 billion isn't going to bankrupt America's future. Saying that like it's a sure thing and as if a loss of that amount of money to the US could bankrupt it isn't contrarian, it's just emotional language meant to sow FUD. And wrong.

Never look into how roads are repaired and how much it costs. If 1.3 billion to build things that could last half a century or more (unless of course the random super strong CME hits and destroys everything else along with the new power lines) you might lose your mind. Roads dont even last a decade in cases and cost so much.

And we all get the classic Biden comment. You represent a group of people that act like the world revolves around only them and nearly stroke out when the gov't sets money aside to improve the country or help anyone else that isn't your group.

I bet that investment doesn’t even begin to shield U.S. electrical systems from a potentially catastrophic Carrington event.

Why invest in anything if it won't survive the inevitable heat death of the universe, while we're at it?

When I was shopping for a new house I told the agent if it couldn't hold up to the Tunguska event I wasn't interested.

Absolutely fucking wrong. Trump is going to most likely be the republican candidate and that shit stain cannot be allowed anywhere near our government again.

Could you elaborate and explain how anything you said makes sense?

They're suggesting that we shouldn't bother upgrading the power grid unless it can stand up to the most intense geomagnetic storm in recorded history. 🙄

Reading what I wrote in your words is just as hilarious to me as writing it. That's good stuff

If it doesn't stand up to a Carrington EVENT, why not VOTE TRAUMEP??

That’s why you should vote for literally anything else.

Hello, Trump voter.

If it doesn't even begin, then it sounds long overdue.

And I bet people like you are the reason it's still not enough.

No, it's the military industrial complex.

There is frankly not enough money to fund the massive MIC and also rebuild the crumbling infrastructure in the US.

The only way I see an actual update happening is if it's billed as a national defense upgrade.

At this point, it's kinda pretty justifiable as a national defense upgrade. Can't build rockets if the rocket factories don't have power

Having a more robust electrical grid is clearly aligned with the interests of the military industrial complex. A lot of investment in infrastructure also serves the interests of national security.

If you were trying for sarcasm you tripped over Poe's Law.

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