Why the power is still on at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

[Kennah]

https://desertbeacon.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/power-for-the-loons-a-small-electric-co-op-considers-what-to-do-with-the-loons-at-the-malheur-wildlife-refuge/

The Co-op [Harney Electric Cooperative] has about 4,000 power meters, 350 miles of transmission line, and more than 2,400 miles of distribution line across the six counties shown on the map. And there are numerous voices asking why the power hasn’t been cut off at the Malheur Refuge…

A major consideration is Safety. Harney Electric, for all its territorial expanse, isn’t a very large company. In fact, the members read their own meters. The company audits meter readings once a year, but for all 12 months of the year the meters are read by the customer/members and not by designated meter readers. The main office is in Hines, OR (population 1,510) with a branch office in Orovada, NV (population 155) and another small satellite office in Fields, OR (population 120). It isn’t too far off the mark to say that the administration and management of the co-op is a case of everyone knowing everyone else – employees included. No one is particularly excited about sending in a lineman to shut off the power at the Refuge since the Loons have an unfortunate track record of actually shooting and killing people. Case in point: the two miscreants who joined the Bundy Militia for a time in Their Great Delusional Standoff in southern Nevada, and then saw fit to assassinate two police officers in Las Vegas. [MSNBC] There’s frankly little way for the power company to win —
...
Gee, offer some naysayers – why can’t the co-op cut the power off well outside the range of the Loons? That assumes that the co-op has isolation capacity, and the equipment already installed to shut down portions of the distribution line. Since its founding in 1961, the co-op’s primary concern has been to get power to isolated areas, NOT how to shut off power to isolated portions of its service area. The co-op has shut off power to the Frenchglen, OR BLM fire station [OregonLive] as of January 7, 2016, another target of the Loons, but not occupied by them. The integrity of the BLM fire station at Frenchglen is an important component in the safety of Harney Electric Cooperative’s transmission and distribution lines in southeastern Oregon and northern Nevada.

And then there’s the matter of the bill. The Bundy Loons are using metered power to prepare their grilled cheese sandwiches – the current rate for power at minimum is $28.75 per month for the first 150 kilowatt hours. No one’s heard how the Bundy’s intend to pay for the power they’re using – any more than anyone’s figured out how they intend to pay for the $1 million in back grazing fees and penalties they already owe. However, this time the Bundy’s aren’t ripping off the federal government – they’re ripping off the customers of a small electric cooperative.

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So in summary, Harney Electric Cooperative was set up to serve loons, not Loons of the Cowliphate.

[Kennah]

2. Might make for a good opportunity to update the electric grid as well n/t

[Vincardog]

3. Why not just shoot the LINE? Why blow up the transformer? A full auto burst should be able to cut

an overhead line. Let the dead end fall to the ground.

[Vincardog]

5. So now you are right outside the building.

[Takket]

6. wouldn't even need to endanger a person to do this.

a drone with a pair of pinking shears should be able to handle this lol

[Binkie The Clown]

8. When you own a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

When you own a gun, every problem looks like something that needs to be shot.

[Turbineguy]

9. Why damage equipment? Send them a bill at the end of this.

Actually this cooperative sounds exactly like the sort of organization they would like. Small, local control, honor system.... oh wait, scratch that last part.

[Fumesucker]

10. If the Feds wanted the power off they have the technical capacity to make it so

[csziggy]

11. Sounds like our local co-op

Back in the late 1980s we had a hurricane come through. Because my neighbor's line to his weekend house came off my transformer and his line was knocked down at several points I couldn't get my power restored until I forced the co-op to disconnect his line from my transformer - after six days with no power and no running water.

Sounds simple but it took the co-op a bucket truck, several men and a good part of an hour to do - not something I would ask a power crew to do while being within range of a bunch of lunatics with guns.

[hunter]

12. Without power the morons would probably burn the place down.

.

[Fla Dem]

13. If they can't turn the power off, stop all deliveries, establish road blocks.

Don't let anyone in and if anyone leaves, arrest them. No fuel deliveries, they probably use propane. Cut off telephone, wireless and internet service. The refuge is isolated enough that law enforcement could close down all access. They definitely shouldn't be letting any new terrorist in.