And another DOE-led disaster...

[Jim Muckerheide <jmuckerheide@delphi.com>]

...wondering is surprised and who will point fingers.  Still while saying
nothing to the public about the need to provide energy sources - and maybe not
all natural gas!  :-(

Regards, Jim
muckerheide@mediaone.net
========================

June 28, 2000

          Energy Dept. Warns of Power Outages

          Filed at 12:26 p.m. EDT

          By The Associated Press

          WASHINGTON (AP) -- Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, already
          trying to address the problem of high oil and gasoline prices,
          warned Wednesday some parts of the country face an ``imminent''
          threat of electric power outages. 

          ``We're concerned about the reliability of the electricity grid this
          summer,'' Richardson told the House Commerce Committee. He
          said New England, California and the Pacific Northwest were in
          greatest jeopardy. 

          Earlier this week, Californians were urged to voluntarily reduce
          their electricity use to avoid power outages because of concerns
          about supplies during the heat wave that has struck much of the
          West. 

          Generator problems in other states had limited the amount of
          electricity being shipped into the state from other regions,
          including the Northwest. 

          At the same time, Richardson said he was concerned about
          possible power interruptions in the Northeast because of problems
          at the Seabrook nuclear power plant in New Hampshire. 

          He said while concerns have eased in New England because of a
          turn to cooler weather, 100-degree heat across much of the West
          means both California and the Northwest ``remain very vulnerable
          to power outages'' during peak demand periods. 

          California and the Northwest have been ``barely able to avoid
          rolling blackouts,'' said Richardson. 

          In May, the industry-sponsored North American Electric Reliability
          Council said in a review of potential power problems this summer
          that most of the country appeared to have sufficient electricity
          supplies. 

          But the council said there were areas of concern in the Northeast,
          the Southwest and California. It said utilities have procedures in
          place ``to deal with capacity shortages.'' 

          Nationwide, the council said that this summer's peak demand for
          electricity is expected to be 1.7 percent higher than last summer.
          It said that additional generating capacity has been put into place
          in Illinois, Texas and the Southeast, where power interruptions
          were a problem last year.
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