AUSTIN TEXAS SAYS "READY" BUT RUSHES TO BUY GENERATORS

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This is part of a article appearing in the Austin American Stateman today July 26, 1999.

CITIES SNAPPING UP GENERATORS FOR Y2K By M.B. Taboada American Statesman Staff

"Despite assurances that there will be power Jan. 1, Some Central Texas cities are buying or leasing emergency backup generators in preparation for year 2000 computer problems."

"The industrial generators are significant investments, and hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent at a rate so fast that the supply is almost gone. This is despite warnings from the organization that controls the Texas power grid, which said such purchases are unnecessary."

-snip-

"Austin--which less than a month ago assured residents that the predicted year-end crash of computers would be no worse in Austin than your average thunderstorm--sent out orders two weeks ago for 25 generators with a total cost of more than $750,000."

"Ten of those, including 4 large generators at $59,000 each, are designated for the city's water and wastewater systems, and are intended to prevent sewage spills and maintain water flow for up to three days."

-snip-

"The only reason we're doing 10 is for extra preparation for a potential y2k are power outage," said Chris Lippe, City of Austin assistant director for the water and wastewater department."

And the article goes on and on....

Seems the city doesn't believe the city....

-- LindaO. (lindao@hotmail.com), July 26, 1999

Answers

Linda,

Well, what do you know? Imagine that! A bunch of pessismists just like me, or Ed Yourdon. Guess they don't listen to the Polly crowd.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 26, 1999.


LindaO - I saw that article today, too. I was amazed. When I went to the "communtity conversation" with Koskinen, our honorable Mayor couldn't stay and "converse" because he had to take his kid to camp.

Also amazing to me was an item in the same paper on Sunday on the front of the op-ed section. It described the power failure last year in Hanover, Germany, then gave the who's ready and who's not spin. But it was more info than I've read there in a while. Could someone there at the paper be 'getting it'?

I'm hopeful, but careful.

-- Janice (careful@swbell.net), July 26, 1999.


here's the link to the article, and it's worth the read.

citi es buying generators

Robert Waldrop Old Ways/New Ways<.a>

-- robert waldrop (
rmwj@soonernet.com), July 26, 1999.


Are you people really that fucking stupid? How many power generation and distribution facilities do you think the City of Austin owns and operates? NONE! They are doing exactly what everyone of you has been bitching about, i.e. making contingency plans for those issues that they do not have control over, such as electric power. There is no pleasing you morons. If businesses and communities don't make preps, you call them irresponsible. If they do, you call them liars!

-- Do You See (how.stupid@you.look), July 27, 1999.

What's strange is......... I corresponded last year with ERCOT's Y2K coordinator regarding Central Texas' power statistics in January.

ERCOT's generating capacity is 56MW at any given time... in January the historical usage is ~26MW.

Looks like we could withstand considerable plants tripping and still keep the grid cookin'?

Once again, the concern seems to be related to T&D.

I'll email the coordinator again and ask why such intense contingency plans are being made....

-- Lisa (lisa@work.now), July 27, 1999.



Do You See said:

Are you people really that fucking stupid? How many power generation and distribution facilities do you think the City of Austin owns and operates? NONE!

Wrong! Austin is serviced by its munipcally-owned electric utility. Do your homework before you shoot off your mouth.

Do you see how stupid you look?

-- Wingman (-@-.-), July 27, 1999.


Now here's a really intelligent and responsible post! (NOT) The problem is that it is foul-mouthed, insulting and incorrect.

"Are you people really that fucking stupid? How many power generation and distribution facilities do you think the City of Austin owns and operates? NONE! They are doing exactly what everyone of you has been bitching about, i.e. making contingency plans for those issues that they do not have control over, such as electric power. There is no pleasing you morons. If businesses and communities don't make preps, you call them irresponsible. If they do, you call them liars!" -- Do You See (how.stupid@you.look), July 27, 1999.

The City of Austin does indeed seem confused as exemplified by their decision to acquire electrical generators, while proclaiming Y2K will not cause the lights to go out on their Municipally Owned Electric Utility web page. Maybe they're ready, but they're just worried about the gas pipelines. They say, here that, "Both Decker and Austin Energy's other in-town power plant, Holly, operate on natural gas." Naw! They'd never lie to us and they always know what they're talking about. . .

Just who looks stupid here anyway?

-- Hardliner (searcher@internet.com), July 27, 1999.


Are the cities afraid of the hordes of lawyers?

-- Not Again! (Seenit@ww2.com), July 27, 1999.

Mr. Decker is powered by natural gas? And here I'd always assumed he was nuclear... 8-}]

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), July 28, 1999.

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