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As a former linear corridor permitting attorney who is married to a current linear corridor permitting attorney, I can tell you with confidence that there is no

As a former linear corridor permitting attorney who is married to a current linear corridor permitting attorney, I can tell you with confidence that there is no universe where we build any meaningful amount of new energy transmission in the PNW USA. We can't get a single powerline across the Cascades, much less the dozens we would need for this kind of grid resiliency. The current suite of environmental laws are an effective veto on significant new development through federal lands.

baggy_trough 5y ago
Climate change politics in a nutshell. At some point, some large group of people is going to have to do something they very much don't want to do, and guess what? They resist doing it.
ricw 5y ago
Could just avoid all of that by going underwater along the coast. But yes, good point in that power grid lines are as controversial and politically fraught as nuclear power...
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  >Could just avoid all of that by going underwater along the coast. Not at a tractable price. Adding saltwater never makes things cheaper.
WalterBright 5y ago
Kind of ironic, as running power lines seems as environmentally insignificant as they come.
- LeoPanthera 5y ago
  The town of Paradise, CA would disagree with you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_California
- hadlock 5y ago
  California in recent years has been racking up a number of wildfires started by powerlines, both residential and interstate high tension lines. Granted, the PNW has a completely different ecological/rain story than California, but to say there's zero environmental impact (risk) is probably inaccurate You also need to cut big grassy "highways" through otherwise undisturbed forest, and run roads through there, so that the trees can be trimmed back (ideally annually, but realistically every 3-5 years) it's pretty disruptive ingress of human culture into otherwise undisturbed wild forest. I'm pro more infrastructure, but there's a lot to be considered here, you're introducing humans, effectively forever, to previously (and increasingly rare) untamed wild lands. Once that infrastructure is approved and built, it is almost never recalled
  - truffdog 5y ago
    Last year one of the fires was blamed on a metal hook wearing through after 75 years in the field. It seems like doing a slightly better job at maintenance might be possible.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    I know about the clearcut highways, they aren't very wide, and the underbrush grows on it. I don't see a big problem there. > run roads Is that really necessary to trim every 3-5 years? One could helicopter workers in every 3-5 years. > wildfires I suspect that can be mitigated by devising automatic systems that are faster at shutting off the power should there be a break or fluctuation. Also, wildfires are inevitable regardless. Most importantly, one has to weigh the (small) issues with power lines with the environmental cost of not doing them.

baggy_trough 5y ago

Climate change politics in a nutshell. At some point, some large group of people is going to have to do something they very much don't want to do, and guess what? They resist doing it.

ricw 5y ago

Could just avoid all of that by going underwater along the coast. But yes, good point in that power grid lines are as controversial and politically fraught as nuclear power...

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
>Could just avoid all of that by going underwater along the coast. Not at a tractable price. Adding saltwater never makes things cheaper.

WalterBright 5y ago

Kind of ironic, as running power lines seems as environmentally insignificant as they come.

LeoPanthera 5y ago
The town of Paradise, CA would disagree with you. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise,_California
hadlock 5y ago
California in recent years has been racking up a number of wildfires started by powerlines, both residential and interstate high tension lines. Granted, the PNW has a completely different ecological/rain story than California, but to say there's zero environmental impact (risk) is probably inaccurate You also need to cut big grassy "highways" through otherwise undisturbed forest, and run roads through there, so that the trees can be trimmed back (ideally annually, but realistically every 3-5 years) it's pretty disruptive ingress of human culture into otherwise undisturbed wild forest. I'm pro more infrastructure, but there's a lot to be considered here, you're introducing humans, effectively forever, to previously (and increasingly rare) untamed wild lands. Once that infrastructure is approved and built, it is almost never recalled
- truffdog 5y ago
  Last year one of the fires was blamed on a metal hook wearing through after 75 years in the field. It seems like doing a slightly better job at maintenance might be possible.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  I know about the clearcut highways, they aren't very wide, and the underbrush grows on it. I don't see a big problem there. > run roads Is that really necessary to trim every 3-5 years? One could helicopter workers in every 3-5 years. > wildfires I suspect that can be mitigated by devising automatic systems that are faster at shutting off the power should there be a break or fluctuation. Also, wildfires are inevitable regardless. Most importantly, one has to weigh the (small) issues with power lines with the environmental cost of not doing them.