Why Was the Blackout So Widespread?

[Kellanved]

Some Technical and Policy Questions to be Answered

The most recent North American energy blackout spread widely, affecting an estimated 50 million people in two countries. This is a larger geographic and population area than any previous energy blackout in the history of North America.
Investigations are being initiated at the state, provincial, national and North American levels to determine the sequence of events that created the blackout. These will try to identify what events may have started the blackout

The more important question raised for these inquiries, however, is why and how the blackout spread so massively. Supposedly, the transmission grid was designed to prevent the massive spread of a problem to others on the grid.
"If we designed this system for this not to happen, how did it happen?" asks Michehl R. Gent, the CEO of the North American Energy Reliability Council (NERC).

...

Will the blackout be used as a political excuse to provide for federal subsidies for private corporations to increase their ownership and control of the U.S. energy system, like the corrupt model of Enron? Or will there be a public debate of how to make the U.S. energy system into a reliable public service?

The current U.S. corporate model of private control of all public services has been called into question by the blackout. People around the world, and their governments, can see the consequences of adopting the U.S. 'deregulation' model for the management of public services. As Michigan's Governor Granholm explained, "the utility industry needs to become more heaviliy regulated to ensure accountability. As a result of deregulation, Michigan has become dependant on utilities across many states to feed its power needs - 'which makes it more difficult to hold people accountable'." She recognizes the problem of "reliability standards for utilities which are voluntary", and she observes, "And that just doesn't cut it."


http://www.heise.de/tp/english/inhalt/co/15464/1.html

[izzie]

1. They are really not doing what they say they are doing

My ex husband used to work at a power plant and they put out information but only to make the people happy. They do not go along with the rules.This industry should be well regulated by the federal gov.This plant was a steam plant and it would not buy steam suits in case something happened. When it did happen no one could get to the hurt people because they had no steam suits. That was one of many things they did.

[Wickster]

2. Interesting Article by Greg Palast

Go to:
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8645
and read Greg Palast's article, "Welcome to the Dark Ages"
and
http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8646
"Blackout: Energy History Repeats Inself" by David Morris

They explained a lot to me.

And from your post: "Will the blackout be used as a political excuse to provide for federal subsidies for private corporations to increase their ownership and control of the U.S. energy system, like the corrupt model of Enron?"

In my opinion, the answer to the question is: Yes.

[Kellanved]

3. thanks for the links.