Re: power to the internet

["John Levine" <johnl () iecc com>]

In article <c0c79349-2a6c-4874-b4d9-8013532687c8 () mtcc com> you write:
> > run but are now showing their long term consequences, notably land use
> > that encourages sprawl and construction in ill-suited areas
>
> If we stopped construction in all of the ill-suited areas, we'd stop 
> construction all together, and tear down much more. We have it all here: 
> earthquakes, floods, fires; often the trifecta.  We could certainly be 
> smarter, but the nature of the geography here is both a blessing and a 
> curse.

Among California's many problems is a bizarre terror of upzoning and
infill construction, hence the sprawl.  Here in my rustic bit of
upstate New York you can build a two-family anywhere you can build a
single family and the world has not come to an end.

> PG&E is especially egregious as it has extremely high rates and 
> piss-poor maintenance. Where does all of that money go? Execs and 
> shareholders.

Evidently not since they've been through bankruptcy a few times.  I
think they're just institutionally incompetent as well as having an
unusually environmentally hostile territory to serve.  (Around here when
the power company screws up, the power fails but the county does not
catch fire.)

> I don't know what the ultimate solution is, but 
> whatever it is cannot have those perverse incentives.

The LA DWP seems to do OK.

R's,
John