Page 7 - Utility System News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Released along the storm ravaged territories? you are getting a huge amount of evacuees. >> you know, it's hard for me to evaluate the federal aid that has gone into the island of puerto rico. since we own a utility, i do know a little bit about the utility infrastructure. and at the beginning of this segment, you talked about i guess still 90% of the population is without power. and it's a total rebuild of the utility system. we had a hurricane hardened system that we just had to take trees off of power lines. they had their power poles and all of the utility equipment completely blow down. s...

Of course, downed poles. our utility system is down. we've had some damage at the airport, and that island was used as the hub to do transportation and relief to the island of st. thomas and st. john. st. thomas is flooding. most of the downtown area is flooded out. this is going to be a lot of work. >> and by the way, so st. croix was a staging area for some of the stuff going on in the u.s. virgin islands and san juan, puerto rico also a staging area for water going out to the rest of the caribbean. we have problems that -- the places that were places you went for safety or supplying coming ...

Of our utility system, 100%, is knocked out, is gone. our power authority is working feverishly to bring that up on line. in st. thomas, 70%. so we are really grateful that st. croix did not have the kind of devastation that the other islands did to ensure that that's kept up. >> yeah. >> and we are moving from there. but there is coordination. but you can see it from three tiers from the federal government providing support to local, and then the private sector connecting with local as well so that we can take care of what needs to be done. >> it is an awful lot of work ahead for the people o...

Economy. here is my favorite thing on the attack from the fossil fuel industry and conservatives. they say well, all of this is subsidiaries, we need to let the free market decide. there is more ridiculous than the current utility system. you have no choice, you don't get to pick where your power comes from. the entire thing is the most planned thing we have in our empi entire economy. >> that is absolutely true, chris. you know, we really have to sit and think what are we talking about? what is the argument? solar is good for all. it creates jobs and it is healthy for us. and right now there ...

On building a green economy that lifts people out of power. here's the most interesting thing. they say, well, all of this is sub dis and we need to let the free market decide. there's nothing more redickously socialistic command and control than the current utility system. you have no choice. you don't get to pick where you power comes from the entire thing is the most command and control centrally planned thing we have in our entire economy. >> that is absolutely true, chris, and we really have to sit and think about what are we talking sunset what is the argument? solar is good for all. it ...