A Nation of (Electrical) Power

The US does not need a direct hit from a nuclear attack to cause chaos. A direct hit would also make the country useless due to the effects of radiation.

We have North Korea, Russia, Iran among others that have the capability for a launch. . . A nuclear weapon could be detonated miles above the Earth's atmosphere, knocking out power from New York City to Chicago for weeks, maybe months.

Idling electricity grids would disrupt everything from communications networks to military defenses. It would halt banking, transportation, food, water and emergency services and might result in defeat of our military forces.

It would take at least 10 years or more to repair or rebuild the grid at a cost of trillions.

Studies show that a nuclear explosion 25 to 250 miles above the Earth's surface would be high enough that the blast wouldn't damage buildings or spread a lethal radioactive cloud. At that height, the pulse would fan out hundreds of miles. The immediate effect would resemble a blackout. While blackouts can be restored quickly, an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) could damage or destroy power systems, leaving them inoperable for months to years.

If terrorists are ever able to knock out nine of the nation's 55,000 substations, the U.S. power grid could suffer coast to coast blackouts lasting 18 months or more. They can google a map of the power grid to make it easier to pinpoint their targets.

There are 30 substations in the U.S. that play a critical role in the nation's grid operations. If any nine of them were taken offline, there could be widespread blackouts for weeks . . . or longer. Cyberattacks present an even greater threat to the grid.

It has been more than a decade after 9/11, and the U.S. has failed to adequately safeguard critical infrastructure, including grid operations.

If you are naive enough to believe that: one, these systems are secure; and two, other countries don't have the capability to effectively attack the U.S. electric grid you have been living a very sheltered life.

The U.S. electrical grid was not designed with today's demands in mind . . . let alone the ability to withstand a terrorist attack. The power grid is inherently vulnerable because it is spread across hundreds of miles, and many key facilities are unguarded.

The average hydroelectric facility has been operating for 64 years. The 50 oldest electric generating plants in the United States are all hydroelectric generators; each has been in service since 1908.

In today's day and age, we are pushing electric vehicles dependent on systems that were built in 1908.

Changes in temperature and changes in precipitation patterns have profound effects on river systems and water supplies. These impacts directly affect hydroelectric production.

Remember the outages during Sandy and how long it took to get power back online?

The grid is already being taxed, if everyone in America were to own an electric vehicle, there is not enough power to keep them all on the road, with the infrastructure system as it is now.

But shutting down pipelines, lessening our dependence on fossil fuels we as a country are being forced to become dependent on a decaying electrical grid.

With a grid that cannot sustain a nation in its current condition . . . we as a republic are vulnerable.