Blackout Showed Need for Grid Rules

Blackout Showed Need for Grid Rules, but They're Mired in Congress

By H. Josef Hebert Associated Press Writer
Published: Apr 6, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - A seven-month investigation into the nation's worst blackout is putting new pressure on Congress to boost the reliability of power grids - but legislation addressing the problem remains in limbo.
Nearly eight months after all or parts of eight states and sections of Canada went dark, a U.S.-Canadian task force on Monday called for urgent approval of mandatory reliability rules to govern the electric transmission industry.

Many of the voluntary rules, managed by a private, industry-sponsored group, were largely ignored by the Ohio power company and others whose failures led to the blackout, the task force said in a 228-page report.

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