CENTER VIEW: The story below might have been predicted by reading the Green Anarchy Newsletter for Spring 2002 -- its lead article by Unabomber serial murderer Ted Kaczynski is titled "Hit Where It Hurts" and recommends, "To work effectively toward the elimination of the techno-industrial system, revolutionaries must attack the system at points at which it cannot afford to give ground. They must attack the vital organs of the system." The first vital organ on Ted's list? "The electric-power industry. The system is utterly dependent on its electric-power grid." The Green Anarchy Newsletter, brainchild of author John Zerzan, is published in Eugene, Oregon, the dateline city of the story below. No one has taken responsibility for the power line attacks. We'll see what law enforcement comes up with.
Vandals continue to hit BPA power lines
The Associated Press
8/13/02 3:25 AM
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Vandals continue to damage insulators on key Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines, and now the FBI and Oregon State Police have joined the investigation.
So far, the damage has sparked a fire in the Westfir area, briefly halted generation at a powerhouse near Oakridge and caused several small power outages. Repairs and power outages have cost the BPA and smaller power suppliers close to $40,000 since late May.
"Whoever's doing this knows exactly how many insulators to shoot out so the line will not go immediately," said Kirsten Kler, a BPA security officer in Portland. "They also leave the area clean, with no shell casings or other evidence left behind."
A power line insulator works like the surge-protector feature on a computer plug. The glass or porcelain bell-shaped hoods help regulate the flow of electricity through high-voltage power lines as they approach a tower.
When an insulator is damaged, water or moisture can cause the power lines to go dead, interrupting the flow of electricity. Occasionally, sparks or live lines fall to the ground and start fires.
The BPA is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Investigators believe these shootings are carefully calculated to cause an outage after the shooter leaves the area, Kler said. It appears the shooter uses a .22-caliber gun and is a pretty good shot. The 8-inch-wide insulators are usually about 70 feet from the ground.
The first set of damaged insulators was discovered May 24 near Cougar Dam, about 25 miles east of Eugene, Kler said.
Vandals shot about 80 insulators on the 115,000-volt Cougar-Thurston line, causing it to go out of service. Repairs cost about $6,000.
On June 3, a helicopter surveillance team discovered additional broken insulators on the same Cougar-Thurston line. A few days later, another helicopter patrol spotted more damaged insulators on the Hills Creek-Lookout Point line, eight miles west of Oakridge.
On July 30, vandals damaged insulators 15 miles east of Lookout Point, causing a two-hour outage in Oakridge and igniting a grass fire.
When a U.S. Forest Service helicopter crew discovered 16 more broken insulators on the same power line Aug. 3, the BPA notified the FBI.
Sheriff's deputies and state troopers are patrolling forest service land more often now.
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