America’s Electric Grid Is Far Too Vulnerable to Extreme Weather, and Needs an Update

Work on America’s electrical grid has slowed to a crawl, even as the power outages caused by severe weather are on the upswing.  That’s the takeaway from a new report out of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and the Department of Energy.  It found that economic damage from weather-related power outages now averages between $18 and $33 billion per year — and went as high as $75 billion in 2008 and $52 billion in 2012 thanks to Hurricanes Ike and Sandy, respectively.

America’s Electric Grid Is Far Too Vulnerable to Extreme Weather, and Needs an Update