The Economics of California’s Power Shutoffs, with Judson Boomhower

This week, host Daniel Raimi talks with Judson Boomhower, an assistant professor of economics at the University of California San Diego and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Boomhower and Raimi discuss the recent public safety power shutoffs that affected over one million people in northern California, what led to the shutoffs, the effects of the shutoffs, and how planned shutoffs might become more common in the future. The shutoffs have gotten a lot of attention, but Boomhower brings unique expertise to the issue, including a deep understanding of the electricity system, wildfire, and—crucially—the economics of liability. References and recommendations: "Earth as Art" from the US Geological Survey; https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/earth-art "Between Two Fires" by Stephen J. Pyne; https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/between-two-fires