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a $1.3 billion federal investment to build three new interstate power lines in an effort to upgrade the United States’ outdated electric grid and transition it to clean energy.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

  • Chapelgentry@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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

    • Nougat@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

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

        Maybe $1.3 T.

          • orrk@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            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

    • ___@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

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

  • PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    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.

    • 800XL@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • jaybone@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        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.

        • squiblet@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          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.

      • PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com
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        1 year ago

        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.

        • 800XL@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          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.

    • Chozo@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      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?

    • legion02@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      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.

    • die444die@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • DarkGamer@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        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. 🙄

    • AnonTwo@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • Wogi@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        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.

        • zalgotext@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          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

        • paultimate14@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          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.