Energy

Two-Day Blackout Next To The White House Leaves 12,000 In The Dark [PHOTOS]

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Andrew Follett Energy and Science Reporter
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It took more than two days for utility workers to restore electricity to parts of Washington, D.C. just blocks away from the White House after a small fire late Monday night.

Nearly two days after an underground transformer caught fire and the blaze was put out, an estimated 12,000 employees still didn’t have power.

“We were left in the dark, figuratively and literally, without any idea as to whether we would be able to resume operations this week,” Robert Cantelmo, Associate Director of the Center for the National Interest, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “Despite the best efforts of our building management and the Golden Triangle BID, Pepco was either unable or unwilling to provide reliable information relating to when power might be restored.”

The National Interest, a magazine that usually covers foreign policy issues, dedicated an entire article to “the complete lack of shame, the failure to take responsibility for failure” of the city government’s response to the blackout. The magazine noted D.C. officials repeatedly tried to interfere in a utility merger with a larger energy corporation until it accepted green energy goals.

D.C. officials pushing green energy goals comes as the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) investigates how green energy impacts the reliability of electrical grids. FERC believes there is a “significant risk” of electricity becoming too unreliable because “wind and solar don’t offer the services the shuttered coal plants provided.”

The blackouts forced officials to shut down major downtown streets. Pepco, D.C.’s electric utility, said the blackout was caused by a fire, but has not provided many details beyond that.

Major DC Street shut down two days after fire. (Andrew Follett/Daily Caller)

Major DC Street shut down two days after fire. (Andrew Follett/Daily Caller News Foundation)

Numerous businesses, lobbying firms and government contractors suspended operations entirely in the 14 different office builds were affected by the blackout. The affected area includes one of the most heavily trafficked parts of downtown D.C.

“The Center for the National Interest and The National Interest magazine were without power for two full business days,” Cantelmo told TheDCNF.

A local CVS with signs saying it was closed by power outage (Andrew Follett/Daily Caller News Foundation)

A local CVS with signs saying it was closed by power outage (Andrew Follett/Daily Caller News Foundation)

Power has been restored to much of the affected area, but Pepco workers are still working to repair the damage.

More than 2 days after power shutdown, repair work is still underway (Andrew Follett/Daily Caller News Foundation)

More than 2 days after power shutdown, repair work is still underway(Andrew Follett/Daily Caller News Foundation)

TheDCNF was luckily spared and did not lost power as others went dark Monday night.

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