Podcasts about california burning the fall

  • 33PODCASTS
  • 37EPISODES
  • 1h 3mAVG DURATION
  • 1MONTHLY NEW EPISODE
  • Jan 14, 2025LATEST

POPULARITY

20172018201920202021202220232024


Best podcasts about california burning the fall

Latest podcast episodes about california burning the fall

Luke Ford
The Dog Who Didn't Bark - Nobody Argues California Has Great Governance (1-14-25)

Luke Ford

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2025 288:27


01:00 NR: Why Did California Cut Fire Prevention Spending While Keeping a Rainy-Day Fund?, https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/why-did-california-cut-fire-prevention-spending-while-keeping-a-rainy-day-fund/ 12:15 The FBI is terrible at background checks, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtgtSNMGBt0 14:50 Jonathan Haidt is wrong about morality | Prof Kurt Gray, https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/jonathan-haidt-is-wrong-about-morality 19:00 Alpha: Eddie Gallagher and the War for the Soul of the Navy SEALs, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=158567 25:00 Jonathan Haidt is wrong about morality | Prof Kurt Gray, https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/jonathan-haidt-is-wrong-about-morality?utm_source=publication-search 29:00 Best way to survive a fire is to be connected to your neighbors and to have resources (financial, social, emotional, purpose). I volunteer so I have a visceral sense of people depending on me. 30:00 The Anti-Social Century by Derek Thompson, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/02/american-loneliness-personality-politics/681091/ 34:00 I was thinking about publishing my love poems 51:00 Japanese TV show Extremely Inappropriate, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/world/asia/japan-extremely-inappropriate.html 1:20:00 I worked for a year in Australia after I graduated high school in June 1984, https://www.lukeford.net/luke_ford/bio/l3.html 1:38:50 Kip joins to talk about short-term memory 1:50:00 The advantages of elite universities 2:18:00 LA Fire Truths and Lies with Hotshot Director, https://www.carousel.blog/p/la-fire-truths-and-lies-with-hotshot 2:30:00 California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid, https://www.amazon.com/California-Burning-Pacific-Electric-Americas/dp/059333065X 2:31:00 California Burning author Katherine Blunt, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOyjOewSPqc 2:48:30 Just as I am 3:01:00 The MICE Method: How the CIA Persuades People to Betray Their Country, https://spyauthor.medium.com/the-mice-method-how-the-cia-persuades-people-to-betray-their-country-0bdb9094103b 3:05:45 Nathan Cofnas talks to Nicholas Wade about group differences, lab leak theory, https://ncofnas.com/p/talking-about-race-differences-with 3:20:00 Lab leak theory 4:07:10 DTG Christmas Quiz 2024 with Helen Lewis, https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/dtg-christmas-quiz-2024-with-helen-lewis-badstats 4:24:50 Noah Rothman joins Hugh to talk about California's Chernobyl, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPKuObXvxKo 4:29:20 Evaluating Pete Hegseth's senate performance 4:40:00 The Theory of Dyadic Morality: Reinventing Moral Judgment by Redefining Harm, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088868317698288

Luke Ford
Live Coverage Of LA's Fires (1-9-25)

Luke Ford

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 211:18


01:00 The Truth About The Wildfires, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHh-_3FshO4 06:00 LA Mayor Karen Bass out of town, https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/a-timeline-of-mayor-karen-basss-disqualifying-conduct-during-the-l-a-fire-disaster/ 20:20 California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid, https://www.amazon.com/California-Burning-Pacific-Electric-Americas/dp/059333065X 21:00 Katherine Blunt, author of California Burning, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOyjOewSPqc 34:00 Dooovid joins, https://x.com/RebDoooovid 39:45 Ricardo joins 47:00 Elliott Blatt joins 1:35:00 Kip joins 1:37:00 Stefan Molyneux, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Molyneux 2:21:20 Michael Huemer | Progressive Myths, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsKCyOEDWR0 2:42:00 Commentary magazine podcast on LA fires, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBvPff07ENg 3:25:00 The song Bradman by Paul Kelly, https://genius.com/Paul-kelly-and-the-messengers-bradman-lyrics

Public Power Underground
What it means for America's power grid w/ Katherine Blunt

Public Power Underground

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 79:36


Katherine Blunt joins Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery to discuss her reporting at the Wall Street Journal on the energy industry and her book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power Grid.Matthew Schroettnig joins Conleigh Byers, Farhad Billimoria, and Paul Dockery for the rest of the episode to cover utility risks, load growth, and the current landscape of America's power grid.You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share with friends that are energy enthusiasts, like us!03:13 - Short-to-Ground; a segment where we blow a fuse covering the newsEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a suite of standards to cut greenhouse gas emissions as well as toxic air pollution, water pollution, and land contamination from fossil fuel plantsBureau of Land Management (BLM) updated regulations on Broadband Authorization, Cost Recovery, and Vegetation Management for Fire Risk ManagementLetter from twenty-six entities from across the West to the Southwest Power Pool expressing interest in continuing the development of Markets+Portland General Electric is seeking approval for a new, 7.4 mile, 115 KV transmission lineSpot market power in the U.S.Wholesale spot prices for the National Electricity Market (NEM)Energy Information Administration's Natural Gas Weekly UpdateHedging and Tail Risk in Electricity Markets18:39 - Katherine Blunt joins Crystal Ball and Paul Dockery to discuss her reporting at the Wall Street Journal on the energy industry and her book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power GridCalifornia Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--and What It Means for America's Power GridWildfires Make Utilities a Tricky Investment. Just Ask Warren Buffett.Big Tech's Latest Obsession Is Finding Enough Energy49:13 - Katherine Blunt's analogy; the grid is like a network of roads and highways51:08 - Updating our Priors1:07:20 - ESA (Energy System Analogies) World Cup Standings1:08:11 - Matt Schroettnig's analogy; electricity is like water in a biomePublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch!

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf
Snipers, Cyberattacks, and Fire: America's Power Grid Is in Danger

Change Agents with Andy Stumpf

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2024 46:30


Today's guest is award-winning journalist Katherine Blunt. She is a Wall Street Journal reporter and author of California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid, a national bestseller, and winner of the 2022 Golden Poppy award for nonfiction. She was also a part of the reporting team that uncovered how Instagram's algorithms promoted disturbing underaged content. On this episode, she and Andy discuss vulnerabilities to America's grid, the danger these vulnerabilities present, and what can be done to fix them. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. SPONSORS:  Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company.  Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/ MTNTOUGH  Go to https://mtntough.com and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

KQED’s Forum
Historic PG&E Rate Increases Will Hit Hard in 2024

KQED’s Forum

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2024 55:44


Before you open your next electricity bill, you might want to brace yourself. PG&E is hiking their rates starting this month, and this one is historic. Bills for the average household are expected to jump $34.50 a month and there could be more rate hikes on the horizon. The increase will fund projects addressing wildfire mitigation, especially an unprecedented attempt to bury power lines in high-risk areas. After the new rate hike, PG&E rates will have doubled over the last 10 years. Is all the new work necessary? Is sticking ratepayers with the bill the only option? We'll talk with energy and utility experts about what this move means for PG&E and for the rest of us. Guests: Katherine Blunt, energy reporter, Wall Street Journal. Her recent book is "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—And What It Means for America's Power Grid." Meredith Fowlie, professor, UC Berkeley Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; faculty director at the Energy Institute at Haas Mark Toney, executive director, The Utility Reform Network

With Great Power
How California's worst wildfire rocked the power industry

With Great Power

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2023 22:49


The 2018 Camp fire was the most destructive wildfire in California's history. By the time the smoke cleared, more than 150,000 acres had burned. Damages surpassed $16 billion. Dozens had died. Thousands more were displaced. So how did it all happen? The increasingly hot and dry conditions in the region coupled with the high Diablo winds turned the forest floor into a powder keg. Within hours, thousands of homes were destroyed in Butte County and the surrounding areas. Katherine Blunt was just a few days into her new role as a reporter covering renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal when the fire blew up.She chronicled how the blazed occurred and the aftermath for Pacific Gas & Electric — the utility whose equipment caused the fire — in her 2022 book “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid.” This week, Brad talks with Katherine about reporting on the Camp fire and its ramifications for the local community and PG&E, and what it all means for the utility industry.This podcast is produced by GridX. GridX is the Enterprise Rate Platform that modern utilities rely on to usher in our clean energy future.

Aurora Energy Research Podcast
EP.129 Katherine Blunt, Energy Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

Aurora Energy Research Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2023 41:48


This week we have a very special episode on Energy Unplugged where we focus the discussion around a book. Our Managing Director in APAC & California, Hugo Batten and Kimberly Liu, our Head of Research in California are delighted to be joined by Katherine Blunt, Energy Reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Katherine is the author of “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid”, a history of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), one of California's major utilities. Main topics include: • PG&E and its major challenges were over last 10-15 years • The future of PG&E and how do they resolve their current challenges • Regulation of transmission as one of the central challenges identified in the book • The challenges of regulating the energy transition

New Books Network
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books Network

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

New Books in Environmental Studies
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in Environmental Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

New Books in American Studies
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in American Studies

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

New Books in the American West
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in the American West

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

New Books in Science, Technology, and Society
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

New Books in Technology
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in Technology

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/technology

New Books in Economic and Business History
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in Economic and Business History

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Books in Business, Management, and Marketing
How a California Electricity Utility Caused Deadly Wildfires

New Books in Business, Management, and Marketing

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2023 65:36


Journalist Katherine Blunt, who writes about renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, talks about her new book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid with Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel. The book tells the fascinating story of how declining performance at an electrical utility eventually led to wildfires and staggering loss of human life. Blunt and Vinsel also talk about what this story means for the future of electricity utilities in the face of global climate change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Resources Radio
2022 Year in Review: Energy and Environmental Policy, with Catherine Wolfram and John Larsen

Resources Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2023 37:09


In this week's episode, host Daniel Raimi recaps 2022 with Catherine Wolfram, a visiting professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and member of the board of directors at Resources for the Future, and John Larsen, a partner at Rhodium Group. Wolfram and Larsen offer insights on the year's biggest stories in energy and environmental policy at the state, national, and international levels, including US climate legislation and how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has affected energy markets. They also look ahead to the developments in energy and environmental policy that are likely to become important in 2023. References and recommendations: “Catalyst with Shayle Kann” podcast from Canary Media; https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid” by Katherine Blunt; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670012/california-burning-by-katherine-blunt/

The Economics Review
Ep. 109 - Katherine Blunt on The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric

The Economics Review

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2022 25:03


Katherine Blunt covers renewable energy and utilities for The Wall Street Journal. Her team's reporting on PG&E has been honored with a Barlett & Steele award for business investigative journalism, the Thomas L. Stokes award for energy and environmental reporting, and was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2020. Her latest book is titled California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric- and What It Means for America's Power Grid.

Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson
Michigan's decision regarding DTE rates, explained

Detroit Today with Stephen Henderson

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 52:03


A new DTE rate increase will go into effect, but it's not what was anticipated for consumers. DTE had wanted an additional $388 million — an increase of 8.8% for households — in annual revenue to maintain the energy grid. But they didn't get it. They were allowed a rate increase of less than 1 percent from a decision made by the Michigan Public Service Commission at a Friday meeting. That increase is the smallest approved for DTE in an electric rate case in at least a decade. The commission also directed DTE to offer more details about its low-income assistance program. Freelance reporter Tom Perkins joins the show to discuss what occurred, including why the service commission limited the rate increase suggested by DTE. Then, Katherine Blunt, a Wall Street Journal reporter and author of California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid," stops by to provide further insight into how state oversight of utility companies work, including how California's system could be informative for the energy climate in Michigan.

The Charles Mizrahi Show
The Human Cost of Infrastructure Failure — Katherine Blunt

The Charles Mizrahi Show

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2022 48:02


Subscribe to Charles' Alpha Investor newsletter today: https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/2054150For 100 years, a metal hook held up wires and insulators along the Feather River Canyon, California. After a century's worth of wind, rain and snow wearing it down, it eventually broke in half.When the live wire fell, it ignited the dry brush below, setting off a huge wildfire. The fire spread with a speed that was absolutely impossible to contain, killing more than 100 people. And the fire razed hundreds of thousands of acres of vineyards and forest. In her latest book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid, author Katherine Blunt shared with me the high human cost of our energy grid. Topics Discussed:An Introduction to Katherine Blunt (00:00:00)A Single Fire that Destroyed a California Town. (00:02:38)Huge Part of the Story: Climate Change (00:10:21)The Most Chilling 911 Call (00:15:14)Was There A Smoking Gun — A Warning Sign — That the Companies Ignored? (00:19:48)PGE Bankruptcy Times Two! (00:30:03)Guest Bio:Katherine is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. She has written about utilities and renewable energy for the Journal since 2018.Her latest book is California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid.In the book, Katherine explores the decline of California's largest utility company that led to countless wildfires — including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise — and the human cost of infrastructure failure.Resources Mentioned: California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power GridTranscript: https://charlesmizrahi.com/podcast/ Don't Forget To... • Subscribe to my podcast! • Download this episode to save for later • Liked this episode? Leave a kind review!

KPFA - UpFront
Oaklanders to vote on public campaign finance measure; Plus

KPFA - UpFront

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 59:58


Portfolio On today's show: 0:08 – Dan Kalb (@DanKalb), Oakland city Councilmember for District 1 discusses Measure W, a proposal he co-authored to provide public financing for elections. 0:18 – Katherine Blunt (@KatherineBlunt) discusses her latest book, California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas And Electric – And What It Means For America's Power Grid. The post Oaklanders to vote on public campaign finance measure; Plus appeared first on KPFA.

public vote oakland measure power grid campaign finance kpfa california burning the fall oaklanders measure w
Free Range with Mike Livermore
Katherine Blunt on Energy and Wildfires

Free Range with Mike Livermore

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 61:13


On this episode of Free Range, Mike Livermore interviews Katherine Blunt, a journalist at the Wall Street Journal and the recent author of California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid. The conversation begins with the book's narrative of criminal charges, with Blunt briefly describing the cast of characters and situations in the book that led to prosecutions for a violation of the Federal Pipeline Safety Act and 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The latter was one of the first situations in history in which a company was charged with homicide. (0:32-7:06) Even with these successful criminal prosecutions, many were left with a sense of dissatisfaction. (7:07-10:30) Livermore and Blunt discuss some of the moral complexities of collective criminal liability. (10:31 - 17:45) Blunt highlights the fact that the victims compensation fund is tied to the future stock price of the company; different types of penalties have the potential to weigh on the company's share price. The two also discuss the difficulty of recruiting new talent to work at a corporation when criminal liability may be at stake. (17:46 - 28:49) The two move to discuss broader policy issues, including how regulated utilities receive returns on capital but not operating and maintenance (O&M) expenses. Blunt believes that the company had significantly underspent on O&M with serious negative consequences. (28:50 - 33:59) Blunt discusses possibility that the charge given to PG&E — delivering safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy — might be an impossible task. (34:00 - 41:21) The two shift to the topic of renewable energy. Blunt describes California's ambitious targets for carbon reduction. California's early investments in wind and solar helped create the economies of scale which made these forms of energy are affordable, but California's ratepayers paid billions of dollars for this power. (41:22 - 45:25) Livermore asks how people in California should feel about how this has all played out. Blunt responds that California's contribution to reducing carbon emissions is rightfully a point of pride. But as a leader in climate change efforts, California has incurred a real cost. (45:26- 49:29) Blunt then discusses the broader implications of the PG&E story. Utilities everywhere are going to have to confront new risks as a result of climate change. PG&E's story demonstrates that if any company has a narrative of mismanaging risk, it's going to be very challenging to get ahead of things. The consequences of the failure of the electric system are becoming greater, in both an acute and a broader sense. There are lessons here for every region of the country. (49:30 - 52:10) A question that comes out of the book is how bad PG&E's risk management practices were compared to other utilities in California. Blunt highlights the inherent tension between private interests and public good, which is present in every utility company. PG&E is hardly the only utility to mismanage that. Historically, PG&E's mismanagement has been more acute than others and the consequences have been much greater. (52:11 - 55:55) Blunt then turns to bigger picture questions of centralized versus distributed energy. In her view, distributed technology will play a role in how we generate and consume power and it has the potential to reduce the amount of large centralized infrastructure in the future. But, it is hard for her to foresee a future without a need for centralized generation and transmission carried over large distances. The model has a lot of challenges which are becoming more acute, but there is no great solution for a substantially different model. The only solution is to work within the parameters of what we have and make it better. (55:56 - 1:01:00)

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2022 61:54


Author Katherine Blunt provides what is being called a "revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications," exploring the decline of California's largest utility company that led to countless wildfires—including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise—and the human cost of infrastructure failure Pacific Gas and Electric was a legacy company built by innovators and visionaries, establishing California as a desirable home and economic powerhouse. In California Burning, Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt examines how that legacy fell apart—unraveling a long history of deadly failures in which PG&E endangered millions of Northern Californians, through criminal neglect of its infrastructure. She says that as PG&E prioritized profits and politics, power lines went unchecked—until a rusted hook purchased for 56 cents in 1921 split in two, sparking the deadliest wildfire in California history. Beginning with PG&E's public reckoning after the Paradise fire, Blunt chronicles the evolution of PG&E's shareholder base, from innovators who built some of California's first long-distance power lines to aggressive investors keen on reaping dividends. Following key players through pivotal decisions and legal battles, California Burning reveals the forces Blunt says shaped the plight of PG&E: deregulation and market-gaming led by Enron Corp., an unyielding push for renewable energy, and a swift increase in wildfire risk throughout the West, while regulators and lawmakers pushed their own agendas. MLF ORGANIZER Andrew Dudley NOTES SPEAKERS Katherine Blunt Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Finalist, 2020 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting; Recipient, Gerald Loeb Award Andrew Dudley Co-Host and Producer, Earth Live; Chair, People & Nature Member-Led Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator We are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded live on September 12th, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City Visions
Uncertain Future of San Francisco's Fog / WSJ's Katherine Blunt on Rise and Fall of PG&E / Oakland International Film Festival

City Visions

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2022 59:06


Author and Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt discusses her new book “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—And What It Means for America's Power Grid.” We'll also hear from New York Times reporter John Branch about the uncertain future of San Francisco's fog and learn about the Oakland International Film Festival.

City Visions
Uncertain Future of San Francisco's Fog / WSJ's Katherine Blunt on Rise and Fall of PG&E / Oakland International Film Festival

City Visions

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2022 59:06


Author and Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt discusses her new book “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—And What It Means for America's Power Grid.” We'll also hear from New York Times reporter John Branch about the uncertain future of San Francisco's fog and learn about the Oakland International Film Festival.

KCBS Radio In Depth
Tracing the roots of PG&E's many disasters

KCBS Radio In Depth

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2022 27:47


The recent history of Pacific Gas and Electric has been riddled with foreseeable disasters and preventable tragedies. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss how it is that PG&E's reputation has become synonymous with negligence and calamity, and we also consider the company's latest efforts to turn things around.  Guest: Katherine Blunt, energy reporter, The Wall Street Journal | author, “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric — and What It Means for America's Power Grid” Host: Keith Menconi 

The Federalist Radio Hour
Lessons From California And The Slow Fall Of PG&E

The Federalist Radio Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 32:33


On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Katherine Blunt, author and energy reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Federalist Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss her new book "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric– and What It Means For America's Power Grid."You can find Blunt's book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670012/california-burning-by-katherine-blunt/

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
Federalist Radio Hour: Lessons From California And The Slow Fall Of PG&E

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022


On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Katherine Blunt, author and energy reporter at The Wall Street Journal, joins Federalist Culture Editor Emily Jashinsky to discuss her new book “California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric– and What It Means For America’s Power Grid.” You can find Blunt’s book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670012/california-burning-by-katherine-blunt/

TechNation Radio Podcast
Episode 22-37 Long Covid – Biotech is working on it

TechNation Radio Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2022 59:00


On this week's Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Cleland, the President & CEO of Ashvattha Therapeutics, about their drug development efforts to treat Long Covid. Then Dr. Greg Frost, the Chair and CEO of Exuma Biotech, tells us about their work to speed up CAR-T – from 4-6 weeks to just a few hours, and a second delivery method – programming a virus to produce the treatment protein needed. Just a simple injection under the skin. Finally, Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt with “California Burning … The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric – and What It Means for America's Power Grid”. What's causing many of those California wildfires? Aging Technology.

Volts
The long, sordid (ongoing) tale of California's biggest utility

Volts

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 52:56


Reporter Katherine Blunt was still new to The Wall Street Journal when 2018's devastating Camp Fire broke out in California and she was swept into the biggest story of her career. Alongside colleagues Russell Gold and Rebecca Smith, she wrote a series of pieces on the ongoing travails of Pacific Gas & Electric, or PG&E, the utility whose power lines had started at the Camp Fire.The Journal's coverage was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize, and Blunt has now expanded it into a new book: California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas & Electric — and What It Means for America's Power Grid. It is a rollicking tour through PG&E's decades-long series of disasters and their roots in the early 20th century.I am a longtime critic of utilities, but even I was stunned to see all of PG&E's incompetence and malfeasance gathered together in one place, alongside its well-meaning but serially failed attempts to put things right. It's a story of failure and redemption, except the redemption keeps being interrupted by more failure. I couldn't put the book down, so I am eager to talk to Blunt about how the utility's travails began, why is has struggled so mightily to take control of its fate, and what might come next for the electricity sector's favorite punching bag. Get full access to Volts at www.volts.wtf/subscribe

The Roundtable
"California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric And What It Means for America's Power Grid" by Katherine Blunt

The Roundtable

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 13:57


Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt has been covering Pacific Gas and Electric and California's wildfires since 2018, and her reporting on the story has received numerous awards. In her new book: "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric And What It Means for America's Power Grid," Blunt expands on her investigative work to expose how PG&E endangered the lives of millions of Californians.

KPCW Cool Science Radio
Cool Science Radio | September 8, 2022

KPCW Cool Science Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2022 50:55


Today on Cool Science Radio hosts John Wells and Lynn Ware Peek's guests include:(0:56) Michael Kim, Chief Information Officer at a company called MultiPlan that develops artificial intelligence that uses machine learning to lower healthcare costs by reducing out-of-network claims and cost burdens.Then Pulitzer Prize finalist (26:00) Katherine Blunt who has written California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric -and what it means for America's Power Grid. In the book she adresses Pacific Gas & Electric's Infrastructure failure and the connection to California fires.

C.O.B. Tuesday
"Disasters Happen As A Result Of Tiny Decisions" Featuring Katherine Blunt, Reporter and Author of "California Burning"

C.O.B. Tuesday

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2022 53:28


We hope you had a safe and restful Labor Day weekend. For this week's COBT, we had the pleasure of hosting  Katherine Blunt, Renewables and Utilities Reporter for The Wall Street Journal and Author of recently-released "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What it Means for America's Power Grid," published just last week. Katherine was quickly thrown into covering the PG&E story in 2018 as the Camp Fire erupted three days after she started. Since then, she has investigated PG&E's complete history to understand all the contributing factors to that tragic and devastating fire. It's a complicated story with serious consequences and her book is a straightforward and insightful examination of not only the fire, but America's power history. Her well-received new book also contains many implications for utilities across the country. In our discussion, we touch on key themes in "California Burning" including the formation of monopoly companies supplying power to California in the early 1900s, the lack of maintenance on nearly 100-year-old equipment which was the catalyst to the fire, the people and infrastructure involved in California's electric power system, PG&E's bankruptcy and restructuring program, the negotiated settlement for fire victims, public perceptions of PG&E, reactions to the book, the pressures utilities face to keep expenses low, PG&E's nuclear asset Diablo Canyon, and more. PG&E has declared the book will be required reading for employees, a promising declaration as they work to bury ten thousand miles of distribution lines and mitigate fire risk for the future. The book is very well written, Katherine was a fantastic guest, and we all feel much more informed. Thank you, Katherine!The Veriten team quickly hit a few key points to start the show:  Mike Bradley reported live from the Barclay's CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York and touched on early conference themes, market volatility, recent deal activity and news, and a recent California law on EV production and implications on power generation.  Colin Fenton flagged lithium prices, Russian gas flows into Europe, Iranian crude oil exports, and prepared us for the discussion with Katherine looking at California-Oregon border and Palo Verde power prices.  As always, thank you for your support and friendship!

The Realignment
283 | California at the Epicenter of America's New Energy Crisis - Katherine Blunt on the Fall of PG&E, the Grid, and New Energy Sources

The Realignment

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2022 40:34


Subscribe to The Realignment on Supercast to support the show and access all of our bonus content: https://realignment.supercast.com/.REALIGNMENT NEWSLETTER: https://therealignment.substack.com/BOOKSHOP: https://bookshop.org/shop/therealignmentEmail us at: realignmentpod@gmail.comKatherine Blunt, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric - and What It Means for America's Power Grid, joins The Realignment to discuss the challenge of fixing the nation's overstrained and outmoded power grid, the role of utilities in the wildfire epidemic, and the new energy challenges facing America in the 2020s.

KGO 810 Podcast
Nikki Medoro - Relying on PG&E to be Efficient and Growth-Oriented with Their History of Crises

KGO 810 Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 32:01


Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt has been covering Pacific Gas and Electric and California's wildfires since 2018 and she tells the Morning Show with Nikki Medoro about her new book, "California Burning:The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--And What it Means for America's Power Grid". A discussion follows about the ability to transition to cleaner energy and if it's a realistic goal for everyone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning Show with Nikki Medoro Podcast
Nikki Medoro - Relying on PG&E to be Efficient and Growth-Oriented with Their History of Crises

The Morning Show with Nikki Medoro Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2022 32:01


Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt has been covering Pacific Gas and Electric and California's wildfires since 2018 and she tells the Morning Show with Nikki Medoro about her new book, "California Burning:The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric--And What it Means for America's Power Grid". A discussion follows about the ability to transition to cleaner energy and if it's a realistic goal for everyone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KQED’s Forum
‘California Burning' Documents Fall of PG&E

KQED’s Forum

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 55:30


“It's hard to say exactly when PG&E Corporation began to fall,” writes Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt. But the deep decline of the state's largest utility was hardly more apparent than in the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire, the blaze ignited by PG&E's deteriorated equipment that killed 85 people and destroyed the Northern California town of Paradise. Blunt's new book “California Burning” explains how the Camp Fire exposed the utility's systemic problems — including chronic mismanagement and criminal neglect of its infrastructure — and why PG&E's failures are not just a California story, but a cautionary tale for the entire nation's power grid. Guests: Katherine Blunt, energy reporter, Wall Street Journal; author, "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—And What It Means for America's Power Grid"

Luke Ford
More Accurate Hypotheses About Life Reduce Anxiety & Prediction Error (8-25-22)

Luke Ford

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2022 105:45


2:00 Tucker Carlson mocks the Trump covid vaccine 08:00 The Trait That ‘Super Friends' Have in Common, https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/08/making-keeping-friends-attachment-theory-styles/671222/ 19:00 The Cynical Genius Illusion: Exploring and Debunking Lay Beliefs About Cynicism and Competence, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=144737 32:00 Economic Freedom Fighters singing ‘Kill the Boer' ruled not hate speech, https://mg.co.za/top-six/2022-08-25-malema-economic-freedom-front-singing-kill-the-boer-ruled-not-hate-speech/ 38:00 Tucker Carlson talks to Andrew Tate 43:30 The Brain has a Mind of its Own: Attachment, Neurobiology and the New Science of Psychotherapy, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=144734 1:02:00 Nick Fuentes & Destiny Hangout IRL ft Wife Pt. 2 (Jewish Fan Shows Up) 1:38:00 Are Clown Candidates Ruining the GOP? 1:40:00 Inside the Investigation That Secured a Guilty Plea for 84 Wildfire Deaths, https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-deadliest-wildfire-in-california-history-led-to-a-guilty-plea-from-pg-e-11661436002?mod=hp_lead_pos5 1:41:00 California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and What It Means for America's Power Grid, https://www.katherineblunt.com/articles https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/masking-and-endemic-covid/ https://www.wsj.com/articles/pension-funds-are-selling-their-office-buildings-11661381460?mod=hp_lead_pos13 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/style/bright-lights-big-city-niche-fame.html https://mg.co.za/top-six/2022-08-25-malema-economic-freedom-front-singing-kill-the-boer-ruled-not-hate-speech/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/google-search-misinformation.html https://www.inverse.com/article/55503-where-serial-killers-and-psychopaths-work-top-10-types-of-careers https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/opinion/seattle-homeless-solutions.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/opinion/us-democracy-trump.html https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/trump-was-a-symptom-not-the-disease-and-its-become-a-global-pandemic https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/08/alex-berenson-twitter-ban-lawsuit-covid-misinformation/671219/ How to Solve a Cold Case: And Everything Else You Wanted To Know About Catching Killers, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=144694 https://www.zerohedge.com/political/penn-medical-school-expands-minority-candidate-program-does-not-require-mcat Rigged by Mollie Hemingway, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=144576 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/us/politics/food-insecurity-biden-stimulus.html https://time.com/5936036/secret-2020-election-campaign/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/mass-shootings-mental-illness.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/style/quitting-personal-finances.html https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/viral/internet-cant-stop-talking-andrew-tate-tiktok-rcna42744 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/technology/google-surveillance-toddler-photo.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/interactive/2022/ukraine-road-to-war/?itid=hp_temp3-ukraine https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-bumbling-biden-fails-the-monkeypox-test-covid-trump-vaccines-jynneos-stockpile-rct-doses-smallpox-medicine-public-health-treatment-11661108794?mod=opinion_lead_pos5 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/interactive/2022/ukraine-road-to-war/?itid=hp_temp3-ukraine https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-supporters-detractors-are-mirror-images-mar-a-lago-search-fbi-investigations-law-personality-cult-candidates-complicity-11660919395?mod=opinion_lead_pos11 https://www.respectfulinsolence.com/2022/08/08/is-the-lab-leak-conspiracy-theory-dead/ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-22/coming-to-la-without-a-car https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/19/lisa-laflamme-canada-ctv-debate-sexism-ageism/