California Drought: Cold Weather Brings Power Shortage

Though it is fashionable among Democrats to blame the ongoing California drought–one of the worst ever seen–on global warming, the state now faces a new problem: namely, cold winter temperatures. The cold snap has led to increased use of heating by residents and businesses, and a shortage of natural gas in Southern California. State officials are now calling on California residents to conserve electricity as well as water.

The drought had already threatened state power supplies because many of the reservoirs now running dry in California are also used to power hydroelectric plants. The state has little surplus power capacity following the recent shuttering of the San Onofre nuclear plant. Rainfall in recent days throughout California has not been enough to make much of a difference in the Sierra Nevada snowpack that feeds the state’s water supply.