5 ms·

Climate isn't the problem with any of those issues, politics is. It's not fear of flooding that prevents anyone from investing in, eg New Orleans East. It's tw

Climate isn't the problem with any of those issues, politics is. It's not fear of flooding that prevents anyone from investing in, eg New Orleans East. It's two decades of zero policing. And there's a reason Entergy continues to operate as a completely separate corporate entity in the city, and it's not because "used to be nopsi". The water guys can't even operate a billing system, let alone engineer the distribution network. They ran through probably a dozen companies post- Katrina just to do an assessment and map and maintenance plans, and they all quit for having to deal with the city. That's why they can't keep the water on. But an unnecessary new airport? They had no problem throwing a billion dollars at contractors for that. If people were afraid of sea level rising, they wouldn't just be moving into another swamp/marsh outside of city limits or across the lake. People don't want to live at sea level without a levee on the North Shore, they just don't want to live in New Orleans, despite the +20ft msl and up levees.

selimthegrim 5y ago
>And there's a reason Entergy continues to operate as a completely separate corporate entity in the city, and it's not because "used to be nopsi". Because the City Council-as-regulator can be astroturfed and snowed easily by false promises about "black-start" capability for power plants and work on distribution systems?
- beerandt 5y ago
  I don't think that's the counter point you think it is. The fact that Entergy has to do so much to convince the city to allow a power plant to be built, should be all the proof you need, as far as why no one wants to invest in the city. And that black start capability proved it's worth this week.
  - selimthegrim 5y ago
    What kind of "islanded" black start is this where they have to hook up an external transmission line? That isn’t what they told city council. They could have had solar and batteries, even MISO knew this.
    - beerandt 5y ago
      It was an option presented to the politicians and they rejected it in favor of starting in sync with the grid. If they would have done a black start, rejoining the grid would have apparently been more complicated. But the bigger point is: why does the city fight local investment and improvement of infrastructure? As if the city is doing everyone a favor that wants to build something. That's what's killing the city, not fear of flooding.
      - selimthegrim 5y ago
        The city doesn't want some capital investment that Entergy execs can soak the ratepayers on, sell bonds (which will be underwater when people shift to solar+batteries), and bounce with their bonus package instead of actually shelling out for operating expenses. When I went before the council I made sure Giarrusso read this report UMN [1] generated about the entire MISO system, about the payoff on a gas plant vs solar+batteries, and they went ahead and voted for the plant anyway. [1] https://energytransition.umn.edu/modernizing-minnesotas-grid-an-economic-analysis-of-energy-storage-opportunities/ https://energytransition.umn.edu/modernizing-minnesotas-grid...

selimthegrim 5y ago

>And there's a reason Entergy continues to operate as a completely separate corporate entity in the city, and it's not because "used to be nopsi". Because the City Council-as-regulator can be astroturfed and snowed easily by false promises about "black-start" capability for power plants and work on distribution systems?

beerandt 5y ago
I don't think that's the counter point you think it is. The fact that Entergy has to do so much to convince the city to allow a power plant to be built, should be all the proof you need, as far as why no one wants to invest in the city. And that black start capability proved it's worth this week.
- selimthegrim 5y ago
  What kind of "islanded" black start is this where they have to hook up an external transmission line? That isn’t what they told city council. They could have had solar and batteries, even MISO knew this.
  - beerandt 5y ago
    It was an option presented to the politicians and they rejected it in favor of starting in sync with the grid. If they would have done a black start, rejoining the grid would have apparently been more complicated. But the bigger point is: why does the city fight local investment and improvement of infrastructure? As if the city is doing everyone a favor that wants to build something. That's what's killing the city, not fear of flooding.
    - selimthegrim 5y ago
      The city doesn't want some capital investment that Entergy execs can soak the ratepayers on, sell bonds (which will be underwater when people shift to solar+batteries), and bounce with their bonus package instead of actually shelling out for operating expenses. When I went before the council I made sure Giarrusso read this report UMN [1] generated about the entire MISO system, about the payoff on a gas plant vs solar+batteries, and they went ahead and voted for the plant anyway. [1] https://energytransition.umn.edu/modernizing-minnesotas-grid-an-economic-analysis-of-energy-storage-opportunities/ https://energytransition.umn.edu/modernizing-minnesotas-grid...