Los Angeles Blackout

Not much news on the wire as of this posting. Developing as they say.

But you have to wonder after al Qaeda says that they're going to inflict terrorism on Los Angeles, among others. LAPD Chief William Bratton says he isn't worried about the threats, but it will be good to get additional information to determine what has happened.

It can quite easily be a problem with a high power transmission line, a problem at a substation, or accident somewhere in the power grid.

BTW - quick refresher - just how much was spent on improving the national power grid infrastructure after the Northeast Blackout? *crickets*

That's what I thought.

Technorati: blackout, los angeles, and power grid.

UPDATE:
No one is quite sure what caused the power outages, but the Department of Water and Power is investigating. So far LAX is not affected. LAPD has been put on heightened alert.

UPDATE:
The Department of Water and Power says that it was an employee who incorrectly connected a high power tension line, which in turn tripped numerous circuit breakers, and led to the blackout.

We have experienced blackouts in the past and hear the cries for improving the infrastructure to prevent against further blackouts. Just what has been accomplished thus far, and how much really needs to be done? We know that the power grid throughout the country, like much of the transportation infrastructure, may not be funded adequately. Power plants are not being built to keep up with demand in the areas where demand is growing the most (NIMBY). This forces a reliance on power lines and interconnects between utilities that may not be up to the task. There is little excess capacity in the system so that a minor problem could cascade into a bigger one, which is what happened in the Great Northeast Blackout of 2003.