Several months ago, attacks on and destructions of U.S. food plants skyrocketed to record highs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The unusual, targeted incidents started in August 2019 when a fire broke out at a Tyson Foods<\/a> beef factory in Kansas, resulting in the evacuation of 3,800 workers and disrupting 6%<\/a> of the United States’ beef supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2021, the Patak Meat Products<\/a> factory in Georgia suffered a fire, causing the plant to close and the company to rebuild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, in September 2021, the JBS USA<\/a> meat-processing plant in Nebraska experienced a fire, disrupting approximately 5%<\/a> of the country’s beef supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shearer’s Food Processing Plant<\/a> in Hermiston, Oregon was completely destroyed by a fire in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taylor Farms Food Processing Plant <\/a>in Salinas, California also suffered a fire on April 13, leading to a halt in operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azure Standard Food Processing Plant’s<\/a> headquarters was also engulfed in flames on April 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been several other reported fires and explosions<\/a> at food processing plants across the country, leading to suspicions of a coordinated effort rather than a series of coincidences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, the Biden-Harris Administration announced<\/a> a new effort to provide $13 billion in funding to expand and modernize the U.S. electrical grid. According to Energy.gov<\/a>, the U.S. government is making significant investments to upgrade the power grid and increase access to clean electricity in order for the country to achieve its goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right around this time, attacks on the nation’s power grid intensified, with record-high numbers of power substations being attacked, vandalized, and targeted for electrical shutdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n USA Today<\/a> reports that there has been a rise in physical attacks on electrical facilities in the U.S. this year, according to federal energy reports up to August<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first eight months of 2022, there have been 108 human-related events, compared to 99 in 2021 and 97 in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this trend continues, the total number of human-related incidents in 2022 will be the highest on record since 2011.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since September, there have been at least 18 attacks or potential attacks on substations and one power plant in Florida, Oregon, Washington, and the Carolinas, with several of these involving firearms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n