A Pacific Gas and Electric crew works on burying power lines in Vacaville, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. PG&E wants to bury many of its power lines in areas threatened by wildfires. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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CPUC should hit brakes
on PG&E rate hike
Re: “Regulators clear way for higher bills from PG&E” (Page A1, Nov. 17).
The California Public Utilities Commission members should put on hold the approved rate hike for PG&E to bury their power lines until environmental impact studies are completed to ensure that digging more than 1,200 miles of trenches does not destroy fragile ecological areas or cause endangered species to go extinct.
More comprehensively trained managers and better electronic controls on the electrical system are less costly ways to correct the PG&E mismanagement that allowed devastating fires. The approved “jump of 12.8%” is totally out of control and will not be the only additional cost to consumers. Every consumer product that depends on electricity to manufacture will cost more.
The future in which all new homes and buildings are coated with solar energy collectors is not so far away, and with the use of storage batteries, the need for high-power transmission lines will be greatly diminished.
Edward McCaskey
Dublin
Careful development
of AI is necessary
Three current events demonstrate why we should slow down the introduction (but not the development) of artificial intelligence: 1. the leveling of Ukraine by Russia; 2. Hamas’ and Israel’s slaughter of men, women and children; 3. the release of general artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Bard.
The first and second events demonstrate the strong competitiveness, sense of otherness, and need for power that evolutionary forces have instilled in biological life. We humans haven’t yet learned how to manage these instincts sufficiently for the 8 billion plus of us to live peacefully. Until we do, it is idiotic to implement worldwide networks of AI that might become more powerful than we are.
However, AI research and development is important. Thinking about how to make AI useful and safe may bring needed insights. Hey, a unifying worldwide AI just might be our savior.
Wallace Clark
Concord
GOP members witness
their own dysfunction
The Nov. 16 article “Conservative GOP faction torpedoes major spending bill” (Page A3) was noteworthy and quoted Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) who voted against the bill. The article left out, however, the most significant part of Roy’s rant on the House floor the day before when he implored fellow GOP members with “I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing. One that I can go campaign on and say we did. One. Anybody sitting in the complex, if you want to come down to the floor and explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done, besides, well, I guess it’s not as bad as the Democrats.”
These are not the words of the leftist, Marxist vermin. They are from a sitting GOP member of the House of Representatives, an insider who is watching his GOP colleagues in action.
Barry Brynjulson
San Ramon