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Los Angeles Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
The power grid battle that's dividing California environmentalists
In an early episode of the TV series 'Lost,' the plane crash survivors stranded on a mysterious island are running low on water. A fight breaks out, until emerging leader Jack Shephard admonishes everyone to work together. 'If we can't live together, we're gonna die alone,' he says. California lawmakers contemplating our climate future ought to take that lesson to heart. Senate Bill 540 would help establish a regional electricity market capable of tying together the American West's three dozen independent power grids. Supporters say it would smooth the flow of solar and wind power from the sunny, windy landscapes where they're produced most cheaply to the cities where they're most needed. It would help California keep the lights on without fossil fuels, and without driving up utility bills. That may sound straightforward, but the bill has bitterly divided environmentalists. Welcome to the Wild West of energy policy. Some consider regional power-trading a crucial market-based tool for accelerating climate progress. Others see it as a plot by greedy energy companies to enrich themselves. Those divides didn't stop the Senate from unanimously passing SB 540. But amendments demanded by skeptical lawmakers are now threatening to derail the bill in the Assembly — even as Gov. Gavin Newsom threw his weight behind the concept Wednesday. Critics warn that SB 540 would result in California yielding control of its power grid to out-of-state officials and the Trump administration, who could force Californians to pay for coal-fired electricity from Utah and Wyoming. They also worry about market manipulation driving up electric rates. Those fears are understandable. I also think they're misguided. California by itself can't stop the planet from heating up. The Golden State's decades-long campaign to slow the wildfires, floods and heat waves of the climate crisis has been predicated on the conviction that eventually, other states and nations will follow along — even oil bastions and MAGA hothouses. In other words: If we can't live together, we're gonna die alone. Fortunately, even in the wake of President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' gutting clean energy incentives, solar and wind power are still cheaper than planet-warming coal and fossil gas. Which is why Michael Wara, a Stanford energy and climate scholar, isn't worried that SB 540 will leave Californians drowning in dirty power. In a regional market, solar and wind will usually outcompete coal and gas. 'Any energy source that requires fuel to operate is more expensive than an energy source that doesn't,' he said. California also needs to prove that a grid powered entirely by clean energy is affordable and reliable. The state's rising electric rates are already a big concern. And although the grid has been stable the last few years, thanks to batteries that store solar for after dark, keeping the lights on with more and more renewables might get harder. Regional market advocates make a strong case that interstate cooperation would help. For instance, a market would help California more smoothly access Pacific Northwest hydropower, already a key energy source during heat waves. It would also give California easier access to low-cost winds from New Mexico and Wyoming. Best of all, that wind is often blowing strong just as the sun sets along the Pacific. Another benefit: Right now, California often generates more solar than it can use during certain hours of the day, forcing solar farms to shut down — or pay other states to take the extra power. With a regional market, California could sell excess solar to other states, keeping utility bills down. 'This is about lowering costs,' said Robin Everett, deputy director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. When I wrote about a past regional market proposal in 2017, the Sierra Club was opposed. It believed a regional market would throw an economic lifeline to Utah and Wyoming coal plants owned by Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp company by giving them access to new markets — including California — to sell their power. Eight years later, things are different. High costs are driving coal toward extinction. Solar and wind cost even less. Sierra Club staff now say California should be less worried about opening new markets to coal and more worried about averting blackouts or high utility bills that could trigger an anti-renewables backlash. 'Otherwise we're going to see more and more gas, and a push to keep coal online,' Everett said. But here's where the politics get tricky. Although the Sierra Club endorsed the Pathways Initiative — the detailed regional market plan on which SB 540 is based — it hasn't endorsed the bill. That's because many of the club's volunteer leaders still hate the idea. They're not alone. SB 540's opponents include the Center for Biological Diversity, Food and Water Watch and Consumer Watchdog. (Full disclosure: My father-in-law, an energy lawyer, has advocated against the bill.) Eight chapters of and 73 chapters of progressive group Indivisible stand opposed. So does the Environmental Working Group. On the flip side, supporters include Climate Hawks Vote, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Nature Conservancy, the Union of Concerned Scientists and two chapters of Loretta Lynch, who led the state's Public Utilities Commission during the early-2000s energy crisis, thinks SB 540 would open the door for more market manipulation, giving energy companies legally sanctioned tools to thwart climate goals and force Californians to pay for expensive fossil fuels. Her warnings have resonated with activists frustrated by California's investor-owned utilities, which keep raising electric rates and recently helped persuade officials to slash rooftop solar incentives. Indeed, SB 540's supporters include Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and trade groups for major power producers. 'They want no guardrails or limits on how they can fleece California,' Lynch said. It's a compelling narrative. But most energy experts who have studied the bill aren't convinced. For one thing, electricity sales have changed dramatically since the energy crisis, with more oversight and fewer last-minute trades limiting the potential for shenanigans. Unlike with past regional market proposals, California would retain control of its grid operator, with only a few functions delegated to a regional entity. And California's grid is already subject to federal regulation, meaning Trump could try undermining state policy at any time. Labor attorney Marc Joseph, who helped lead the charge against previous regional market bills, described Lynch's talking points as 'good arguments against a thing that is no longer being proposed.' 'We're in a different place because it's a fundamentally different thing,' Joseph said. Joseph represents the politically powerful International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. After years of fighting regional markets, IBEW is now a vocal supporter. What changed, Joseph said, is that SB 540 would safeguard state climate goals, thus making it a valuable tool to advance solar and wind farms — and create good-paying jobs. Even with IBEW's support, though, it's not clear if SB 540 will reach Newsom's desk. To secure support in the Senate in May, Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), the bill's author, added amendments to assuage concerns about California giving up too much control of its grid. Ironically, many of the bill's key backers now say they're opposed unless the amendments are removed or tweaked. Why would they say that? Because California is the biggest electricity user in the West, and other states won't join a regional market unless they're confident California will participate — and the amendments would make it easier for the Golden State to bail. Out-of-state utilities don't want to waste time and money committing themselves to a California-led market only to lose California, and thus many of the economic benefits. That's especially true because those utilities have another option. Arkansas-based Southwest Power Pool, which operates the electric grid across much of the central U.S., is recruiting Western utilities to its own regional market. Already, utilities based in Arizona, Colorado and the Pacific Northwest have agreed to join. Arkansas isn't leading the West to a clean energy future. California can try — or it can close itself off to the world. Living together is no guarantee. But dying alone is definitely worse. This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our 'Boiling Point' podcast here. For more climate and environment news, follow @Sammy_Roth on X and @ on Bluesky.
The Sun
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Ben Shephard's rarely seen son Jack, 18, towers over This Morning star as they head to Wimbledon with Cat Deeley
BEN Shephard's rarely seen son Jack towered over him - as the pair headed to Wimbledon. The popular TV presenter, 50, shares two adult sons with his wife Annie. 4 4 4 Ben attended Day Four of Wimbledon alongside Jack, 18, - who stands taller than his famous dad. They were joined at the event by Ben's This Morning co-star Cat Deeley. In the latest action, tennis superstar Novak Djokovic notably defeated Brit player Dan Evans. The seven-time champion maintained his record of only ever losing to one Brit in a Grand Slam. Andy Murray memorably ended 77 years of hurt for British men by beating Djokovic back in 2013, Elsewhere, fans were previously stunned by Ben's strapping other son. Footage from late last year showed the star hitting the gym with son Sam - as they did pull ups. They went through the gruelling exercise regime as they attempted to hit their goal of 50. For followers at at home, they couldn't believe how grown up and big Sam has got, as he towered over his dad in the clip. One said: "He's so much bigger than you now Ben. Won't be long before Leo's bigger than me." This Morning's Ben Shephard reveals he's taking a break from the show A second wrote: "Your son is the double of you!" "Woohoo! Huge congratulations to both of you for those pull small feat! "And happy 50th! Hope the celebrations were nothing short of amazing," said a third. While a fourth commented: "Gosh you can see both you and Annie in Sam." In December 2023, The Sun exclusively revealed Ben and Cat would become This Morning's new lead presenters. ITV bosses chose them to replace Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. A source said at the time: 'This is one of the most coveted gigs in UK television. ITV execs are determined to get it right. 'Cat really impressed when she came in, and Ben is a consummate professional and hugely popular with the housewife demographic. 'He's an extremely safe pair of hands, has real gravitas, and doesn't have a whiff of scandal around him — he's purer than pure. Ben Shephard's career to date 1998 - Got his big break when he hosted The Bigger Breakfast for Channel 4 2000 - Joined GMTV breakfast (now GMB) presenting Entertainment Today before becoming a permanent host in 2005 2004 - Ben hosted the first three series of The X Factor's spin-off series Xtra Factor 2006 - Presented singing contestant Soapstar Superstar alongside Ferne Britton 2006 - Landed his own Saturday show with Magic Radio 2008 - Hosted Who Dares, Sings! with Denise van Outen 2009 - Ben presented revived the classic game show The Krypton Factor 2010 - Signed a reported £495k deal with Sky Sports to front Goals on Sunday and other sporting specials 2013 - Returned to ITV daytime with Tipping Point 2015 - Co-hosted Ninja Warrior UK with Rochelle Humes and Chris Kamara 2019 - Quit Sky Sports and Goals on Sunday 2024 - Left Good Morning Britain to join This Morning with Cat Deeley 'Cat is the number one target to replace Holly, but negotiations are ongoing. 'Lots of people were considered, but ultimately it's all about chemistry. 'Everyone is very excited, and the sense is that Ben and Cat will be a real boost to morale on the ground.' This Morning airs on ITV1 and ITVX. 4
Buzz Feed
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
I Finally Watched 'Lost,' And I'm Baffled By The Amount Of People Who Truly Believe They Were 'Dead The Whole Time'
🚨 While they weren't 'dead the whole time,' this article does contain spoilers about how Lost actually ends — you've been warned! As Jack Shephard's eye gently fluttered shut and the Lost closing credits began to fill my screen, I couldn't help but feel like I had missed something major. After all, isn't this the show that has divided fans over its controversial ending for almost 15 years? Where was the controversy? Where did all of the subsequent theories and think pieces and outrage stem from? ABC I got clarity in the days that followed, when almost every conversation that I had about me finally finishing Lost led to a wide-eyed friend leaning in and asking: 'So, what did you make of the ending? Them being dead the whole time?' To my surprise, every Google search in relation to the show was similarly misguided. For a moment, I thought that it was me who had somehow wildly misinterpreted what I thought was a very 'Explain Like I'm 5' monologue from Jack's dad, Christian Shephard, in the final episode. Thankfully, it didn't take long to confirm that this wasn't the case at all, and for me to realize that Lost's ending is perhaps one of the most widespread misconceptions in TV history, with the lore of the Oceanic 815 survivors 'being dead the whole time' somehow transcending the show and becoming a go-to example of bad TV endings as a whole. As somebody who just binged the entire six seasons in as many months, I'm genuinely baffled by how this happened, and I'm here to set the record straight — even if it is, admittedly, several years too late. To do this, we need to address the fact that throughout Lost's entire run, each episode normally follows two different time periods. The majority of the time, this is life on the island peppered with flashbacks to each character's life before they boarded that fateful flight. However, at the start of Season 6, this switches to life on the island and a so-called "flash-sideways" timeline that seemingly shows what would have happened to the characters if Oceanic 815 never crashed. The first introduction that we get to this timeline is in the first episode of the season, where we see Jack waking up on the flight seconds before it crashed in the first episode of Season 1, with all the other characters in their positions as fellow passengers. However, instead of the plane going down, it manages to overcome the turbulence and smoothly continue its journey for a safe arrival at LAX. For the rest of the season, storylines that follow the characters in LA after avoiding the crash are interspersed with scenes on the island, which pick up where Season 5 — and all of the seasons that came before it — left off. It soon becomes clear that all isn't as it seems in LA, with each of the characters seemingly destined to cross paths with one another, crash or no crash. Eventually, it also becomes evident that there is some level of crossover between the two timelines as everybody inexplicably begins to remember life on the island, despite the plane not crashing. As all of the Oceanic 815 passengers find one another in the flash-sideways, there is discussion of them all heading to a pre-arranged meeting point, which is where everything comes to a head in the season finale. While Island Jack is in the throes of sacrificing his life to protect the island, LA Jack is the only one yet to recall his alternate reality with the rest of the characters when he is lured to the meeting spot by Kate, who he thinks is a total stranger. The location is revealed to be a church, where Jack believes his father's funeral will be taking place. However, when he opens the coffin in a private room, he discovers it is empty, then Christian appears behind him. Jack asks how he got there, being dead and all, and Christian pointedly replies: 'How are you here?' to which Jack realizes: 'I died too.' After an emotional embrace, Jack asks if Christian is real, to which Christian explains: 'Yeah, I'm real. You're real; everything that's ever happened to you is real. All those people in the church... They're real, too.' When Jack asks if this means that everybody in the church is dead, Christian drops another key bit of information: 'Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some long after you.' As for why they're all together now? There's an answer for that, too! Christian says: 'This is the place that you all made together, so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life, was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone, Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you… To remember, and to let go.' ABC Christian then explains that everybody has come together to 'move on,' and when they join the others in the main part of the church, Jack enjoys emotional reunions with them all. As this happens, we dip in and out of the island, where Jack is shown lying on the ground and smiling as he sees the plane carrying Frank, Kate, Sawyer, Richard, Miles, and Claire successfully take off. Now, if this wasn't clear enough for you, then my only comparison would be that the church is akin to the Titanic at the end of Titanic after Rose dies. You know, where she reunites with all of her fellow passengers, namely Jack Dawson, in the afterlife. It's basically the exact same concept. While the entire series wasn't purgatory for the characters, the flash-sideways timeline that is only seen in Season 6 is. The entirety of the last five seasons, as well as everything seen on the island in Season 6, actually happened. But when each character died, they woke up in a type of afterlife where the plane didn't crash. Here, they are given the time to overcome their pasts before moving on. This is why all of the characters in this timeline are seemingly living a better life to the one they had before the crash, such as John Locke having a close relationship with his father, and Sawyer working as a police officer instead of being a criminal. And no, this doesn't mean that they all entered the purgatory state at the same time. As Christian says, some of them died before Jack — like Boone, Charlie, and all of the other characters who died throughout the show. Others passed 'long after' he did, which we can assume is a reference to the people we saw safely evacuate the island as Jack died. ABC Regardless of when they died, their spirits, or their souls, or whatever you want to call it, exist in this space together until they are all ready to move on to the afterlife as one. Christian even explains why not all of the past characters are in the church, making it clear that this is only a space for the people whose 'most important part' of their life was the time they spent together on the island. Now, is this a perfect ending? Absolutely not. It's kind of clunky, kind of underwhelming, and it definitely leaves you wanting to know more — like what happened to Kate and Claire, etc., when they got off the island, and how long Hurley and Ben remained on the island as its protectors. ABC But for better or for worse, it was always clear that Jack was the main protagonist of the show, so his death would be an obvious place for it to end. As for how this conclusion was so widely misinterpreted by the masses, I don't really have an answer. People who watched the show as it aired back in the '00s have told me that from as early as Season 2, viewers had started to speculate that all of the characters were dead and the island was purgatory. This theory may have become so widespread that everyone simply continued to think that this is what actually happened. In addition, I would argue that Lost is the kind of show that was made for binge-watching before binge-watching was even a thing. I know that if I had to wait a year for each season, and a week for each episode, I wouldn't have kept up with the storyline and all of its surrounding mysteries at all — let alone the explanations. Binging means that you are able to keep track of everything that is going on, and maybe that equates to a more seamless viewing experience. There is also evidence that viewership gradually declined over the course of the show but jumped back up for the finale, suggesting that people tuned in for the final episode despite not having watched for a while. This is obviously not the way to approach any TV series, but definitely not one as intricate and multi-layered as Lost. It's perhaps understandable that if they missed an entire three seasons of the show, then the distinction between the Season 6 flash-sideways being purgatory could muddle into everything else being purgatory, too. But my ultimate theory? Typically speaking, the people who are wrong about something are usually the loudest. If we're being honest, it probably only took a handfull of very loud people who didn't properly pay attention to the show to dominate the overall narrative and create some kind of mass Mandela Effect. Personally, I think it's a shame that this Mandela Effect has had a lasting impact on Lost's legacy, because when you don't limit the entire show to the fake conclusion that 'they were dead the whole time,' it's actually a really incredible watch from beginning to end. But if you're still choosing to stick with this misconception then, well, it's your loss.
