Electrical Grid In U.S. Penetrated by Spies

Incident spotlights security vulnerability of centralized energy production and distribution

This country is amidst a fundamental cross-roads when it comes to energy development. Many, including those in Washington, are straddling a dirty green line, a compromise of wildlife habitat and public lands to facilitate Salazar’s ambitious “moon shot” – the expeditious development of centralized renewable energy and transmission lines.

I’ve been delivering the need for a line in the green sand, concluding that a landscape and wildlife habitat carved by an energy development marketed as “green” is still a denuded landscape and precluded wildlife habitat.

But frequent visitors to this forum may note that Ralph has also been pointing to another vulnerability in re-developing our energy grid in the same centralized fashion as before.  He’s been pointing to the inherent vulnerability of centralized production and distribution of power to disruption – whether it be from domestic, natural, or foreign threats :

Electrical Grid In U.S. Penetrated by Spies – Washington Post

37 griz killings spark worry

If last year’s high mortality is repeated this year then Greater Yellowstone grizzlies may go back onto the Endangered Species List

Grizzly cub near Pelican Valley ©Ken Cole

37 griz killings spark worry. By Cory Hatch. Jackson Hole News and Guide.

Addition 4/10/2009. Rise in grizzly deaths topic of IGBT meeting. Associated Press.

Bridger-Teton National Forest begins implementation of Snake River Headwaters Wild and Scenic Rivers bill

Thirteen rivers and creeks in the headwaters were protected by the Omnibus Public Lands Bill-

Forest staff to implement Snake protections. By The Associated Press. Billings Gazette.

Because the point of the bill is to keep things the way they are, keeping things the way they are doesn’t require a great amount of work to implement. However, there is some.

The bill designated 388 miles of wild, scenic or recreational rivers. The creeks and rivers included are portions of Bailey Creek, Blackrock Creek, Buffalo Fork of Snake River, Crystal Creek, Granite Creek, Gros Ventre River, Hoback River, Lewis, Pacific Creek, Shoal Creek, Snake River, Willow Creek, and Wolf Creek.