Electric Substations Appear To Be Under Attack In The U.S.

Electric Substations Under Attack in America

Milt Harris

In November, five electric substations were attacked in the Pacific Northwest. 

In mid-November two substations in Cowlitz County, Washington were vandalized. On Thanksgiving morning a substation in Clackamas County, Oregon was damaged, and then two more were attacked in the Puget Sound area later in the month.

Electric substations are definitely an Achilles heel for the U.S.

Security needs to be increased, but it is almost impossible to offer blanket protection for every location. As infuriating as it is to think that a person or group would deliberately inflict suffering upon innocent American families, the memo that was released by Homeland Security on November 30th is nauseating in its, deceitful unsubstantiated bias.

The United States remains in a heightened threat environment. Lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances continue to pose a persistent and lethal threat to the Homeland. Domestic actors and foreign terrorist organizations continue to maintain a visible presence online in attempts to motivate supporters to conduct attacks in the Homeland. Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence, citing factors such as reactions to current events and adherence to violent extremist ideologies. In the coming months, threat actors could exploit several upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence, including certifications related to the midterm elections, the holiday season and associated large gatherings, the marking of two years since the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and potential sociopolitical developments connected to ideological beliefs or personal hostility. Targets of potential violence include public gatherings, faith-based institutions, the LGBTQI+ community, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents.

Christmas day four more substations were attacked leaving 17,000 residents without power

The media should be all over this hypocrisy, pointing out the obvious political bias and divisive and accusing undertones. Instead, the media seizes it like a rapid dog and runs with it attempting to unfairly blame those on the right.

In early December, two power stations were attacked in North Carolina that left 45,000 people without power for five days. These attacks occurred as temperatures were near freezing, causing businesses and schools to close and even affected traffic control systems. 

The damage at these facilities was caused by gunfire and according to Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields,  whoever planned the attacks “knew exactly what they were doing to cause the damage and the outage that they did.”

Then on Christmas day four more substations were attacked leaving 17,000 residents without power. These attacks were coordinated with two taking place in Tacoma and two in Puget Sound.