THAT
THAT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE IN THE DARK AT
THE PEAK OF THIS OUTAGE.
NOW DAYS AFTER OUR WINTER STORM
AND ANOTHER HISTORIC ROUND
OF SNOW AND ICE ROLLED THROUGH
TEXAS AND KNOCKED OUT POWER TO
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE THERE A WEEK
LATER MANY OF >> THEM ARE STILL
GOING WITHOUT POWER RIGHT NOW.
NOW TO BOIL IT DOWN, TWO STORMS
CAUSED THE SAME KIND
OF DISASTER IN TWO STATES.
BUT WHAT A LOT >> OF PEOPLE
MIGHT NOT KNOW IS JUST HOW
DIFFERENT THE SYSTEMS, THE
POWER THOSE STATES ARE
AND THAT'S IMPORTANT WHEN WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THIS HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION WHEN IT COMES TO
PREPARING FOR MORE OF THESE
DISASTERS DOWN THE ROAD, WE
NEED TO KNOW THE FACTS.
HERE'S MAGGIE VESP.
I >> GOT FOUR KIDS AT HOME
INAGURAL FRESEN, HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF OREGONIANS
AND MILLIONS OF TEXANS WERE
LEFT POWERLESS LAST WEEK.
MANY STILL ARE >>.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE COULD GET
TO THIS POINT.
HISTORIC >> SNOW AND ICE STORMS
EXPOSED VULNERABILITIES IN EACH
STATE'S POWER GRID.
MY GOODNESS THIS LAST WEEK HAS
JUST BEEN INSANE TO WATCH FROM
OUR PERSPECTIVE IT'S BEEN
INSANE TO LIVE.
MAGGIE >>, TO GET A BETTER IDEA
OF HOW TEXAS HAS BRED WORKS, I
SPOKE WITH JASON WHITELY, A
REPORTER WITH WFAA KGW SISTER
STATION IN DALLAS.
WHEN IT COMES TO >> POWER, THE
STATE IS AN ISLAND.
HERE'S THE SHORT VERSION OF IT.
IN THE UNITED STATES THERE ARE
THREE MAJOR POWER GRIDS ONE ON
THE EAST COAST, ONE ON THE WEST
COAST AND RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
IS A LITTLE TINY POWER GRID
STATE OF TEXAS NOT ALL TEXAS,
NOT AMARILLO, NOT IN EL PASO
EITHER.
EITHER.
EITHER. BUT MOST OF TEXAS 90 PERCENT
OF TEXAS IS ON ITS OWN POWER
GRID >>.
GRID >>.
GRID >>. ONE BIG QUESTION WHY WOULD
TEXAS WANT TO BE ITS OWN POWER
ISLAND?
ISLAND?
ISLAND? WHAT >> ARE THE BENEFITS >>
OF THAT?
OF THAT?
OF THAT? I MEAN IT BOILS DOWN TO PRICING
FOR CONSUMERS, DOES IT NOT,
THAT IT >> ALL BOILS DOWN TO
PRICING WHEN THE STATE
LEGISLATURE HERE IN NINETEEN
NINETY NINE DECIDED TO
DEREGULATE TAXES AND BREAK UP
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES, THEY
THOUGHT THAT THE PRICES WOULD
COME DOWN FOR CONSUMERS AND IN
FACT TEXAS CONSUMERS CAN SHOP
FOR ELECTRICITY ALL THE WAY
DOWN TO THE KILOWATT HOUR >>.
NOW LET'S COMPARE THAT TO
OREGON'S SYSTEM WHICH IS HIGHLY
REGULATED AND YES SHARES POWER
WITH MUCH OF THAT WEST COAST
GRID.
GRID.
GRID. IT'S CALLED THE WESTERN
INTERCONNECTION.
INTERCONNECTION. ALL THE STATES WHO SHARE POWER
ON ARE SHADED IN ORANGE ON THIS
MAP.
MAP.
MAP. ALL
MAP. ALL RIGHT .
SO BEN JOINING US NOW >> FOR
MORE WE TURN TO BEN KUJALA, THE
DIRECTOR OF POWER PLANNING FOR
THE NORTHWEST POWER
AND CONSERVATION COUNCIL.
HOW WOULD YOU >> DESCRIBE THAT
TO SOMEONE WHO HASN'T ISN'T
FAMILIAR WITH THIS SUBJECT?
AND SO >> THE WESTERN
INTERCONNECTION IS A REALLY BIG
MACHINE.
MACHINE.
MACHINE. IT GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS
INTERNATIONAL BORDERS FROM
CANADA DOWN TO MEXICO
AND ACROSS THE WESTERN STATES.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT HELPS US
BECAUSE IT DIVERSIFIES ANY RISK
.
.
. >>
. >> IT
. >> IT ALSO AT TIMES CREATES
RISK THAT >> IF THERE'S
PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE IN THE WEST
THAT THAT CAN BE SOMETHING THAT
CAUSES CHALLENGES IN IN THE
STATE OF OREGON OR IN THE
REGION.
REGION.
REGION. WHEN WE SAW PROBLEMS IN THE
SUMMER IN CALIFORNIA WHICH IS
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED VERY
RECENTLY, IT CAUSED VERY HIGH
PRICES FOR POWER.
SO IF A UTILITY THAT SERVES
SOMEBODY IN OREGON WITHOUT
BUYING POWER AT THE SAME TIME
THAT CALIFORNIA WAS WAS LOOKING
FOR POWER, THEY HAD TO PAY A
VERY HIGH PREMIUM FOR IT
AND THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON ON
THEIR COST WHICH ULTIMATELY
GETS PASSED ON TO THE PEOPLE
WHO PAY THOSE >> THAT SAID,
WHEN IT COMES TO PRICING
OREGONIANS HAVE FAR MORE
PROTECTIONS THAN TEXANS.
TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, OREGON'S
SYSTEM IS HIGHLY REGULATED.
THE SYSTEM IN TEXAS IS NOT
REGULATED AT ALL HERE IN
OREGON, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
STATE'S PUBLIC UTILITY
COMMISSION REQUIRES COMPANIES
SUBMIT INTEGRATED RESOURCE
PLANS.
PLANS.
PLANS. THAT'S BASICALLY A DATA
SUPPORTED FORECAST OF HOW MUCH
ENERGY A COMPANY EXPECTS TO
PURCHASE VERSUS HOW MUCH THEIR
CUSTOMERS WILL LIKELY NEED.
IT'S A BALANCE KNOWN AS LEAST
COST LEAST RISK AND MOST OF THE
TIME IT HELPS KEEP PRICES LOW.
ANOTHER REGULATION OREGON
REQUIRES COMPANIES WEATHERIZE
THEIR POWER PLANTS
AND EQUIPMENT.
AND EQUIPMENT. TEXAS DOES NOT >>.
THERE'S JUST SO, SO MUCH
UNCERTAINTY WITH THE PIPES AT
THIS TIME >> AND THAT WIDELY
NOTED IS CITED AS A KEY CAUSE
OF THE STATE'S OUTAGES.
THE POWER PLANTS WERE NOT
READY.
READY.
READY. SIXTY PERCENT OF THEM ALREADY
THEY HAD ALL THEIR COATS ON
THEIR POWER PLANTS
AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT.
THEY'RE READY TO GO FORTY
PERCENT WE'RE WEARING
LIGHTWEIGHT JACKETS AND THAT
JUST DID NOT HOLD UP.
SAME THING FOR THE WIND
TURBINES.
TURBINES.
TURBINES. THE NUCLEAR POWERED POWER
PLANTS, COAL POWERED
AND NATURAL GAS POWERED BLAME
CAN BE SPREAD ACROSS THE BOARD
>> IN OREGON.
OFFICIALS BLAME OUR OUTAGES
LARGELY ON DOWNED TREES THAT
TIME AFTER TIME DAMAGE LINES
AND EQUIPMENT LOOK AT THOSE
POWER LINES.
POWER LINES. THE TWO STATES DO HAVE ONE
THING IN COMMON.
OFFICIALS IN OREGON AND TEXAS
WILL BE COMBING THROUGH WHAT
HAPPENED AND HOW IN THE FUTURE
TO PREVENT THIS AS CLIMATE
CHANGE PROMISES TO PRODUCE MORE
SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS.
AND THAT'S >> A NEW PARADIGM
FOR HOW WE PLAN SYSTEM.
YOU