Checking In On California’s Drought, Plus The Potential For Power Outages This Summer

California is heading into summer, which means hot, dry weather and wildfires, which can strain state resources and the power grid. 

Early reports predicted an intense fire season in southern California, which due to a combination of exacerbating factors (depleted snowpack, meager rainy season and dry vegetation) could turn out to be historic. High heats could also put a strain on the power grid and could cause outages. And some experts say California is even less prepared for drought than it was previously, particularly in northern California.

Today on AirTalk, we’re looking at drought, infrastructure, wildfire and climate change in the state ahead of a hot, dry summer. Questions? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Sammy Roth, energy reporter for the LA Times, he tweets @Sammy_Roth

Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University; he tweets @MichaelWWara

Jim Carlton, reporter for the Wall Street Journal who’s been covering how the drought is impacting California; his most recent piece is “Drought Imperils Economy in California’s Farm Country”; he tweets @jimcarltonsf

California is heading into summer, which means hot, dry weather and wildfires, which can strain state resources and the power grid. 

Early reports predicted an intense fire season in southern California, which due to a combination of exacerbating factors (depleted snowpack, meager rainy season and dry vegetation) could turn out to be historic. High heats could also put a strain on the power grid and could cause outages. And some experts say California is even less prepared for drought than it was previously, particularly in northern California.

Today on AirTalk, we’re looking at drought, infrastructure, wildfire and climate change in the state ahead of a hot, dry summer. Questions? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Sammy Roth, energy reporter for the LA Times, he tweets @Sammy_Roth

Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University; he tweets @MichaelWWara

Jim Carlton, reporter for the Wall Street Journal who’s been covering how the drought is impacting California; his most recent piece is “Drought Imperils Economy in California’s Farm Country”; he tweets @jimcarltonsf