WIRED NEWS: Experts Warned of Weak Power Grid

Experts Warned of Weak Power Grid

Associated Press

03:51 PM Aug. 15, 2003 PT

NEW YORK -- Scientists and engineers with the National Research Council warned the White House and Congress about the vulnerability of the power grid as recently as November, saying nationwide weaknesses needed to be repaired -- and fast.

Little has been done, despite a chorus of experts who've pushed since well before Sept. 11 to fix a grid that's riddled with threadbare links and plagued by chronic shortages.

"The power grid has not gotten much more than important conversations since Sept. 11," said Paul Gilbert, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, which worked on the report for the National Research Council.

The report, "Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism," was issued in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, but it noted that the systems were "subject to increased stress even without the threat of terrorism."

MORE AT: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,60057,00.html

Not surprising.

One has to wonder at this point... how much more has to go wrong before America realizes what a train wreck this current administration has been and continues to be?

Bush said this electrical problem was a wake call..

WAKE UP , America. Now you know what conditions our troops have been living in for months. Only the temps have been in the 120's.

Now you know what havoc we have caused to the people of Iraq for five months. You still think this war was justified? WAKE UP AMERICA!

Bush was the one asleep at the switch.

our employment and upgrading of our infrastructure?

Instead, we are just pissing USD into the Iraqi desert.

Thanks Republicans!

could have done to improve the infrastructure at home.

With the "privatization" of public utilities and resources, we're constantly assured that the gurus of 'private corporations' are more able to make investments and run operations efficiently. This is another BIG LIE. What we've really seen is constant price increases (residential more than commercial, of course), an average of more than 7% increase in private profits for the last 10-20 years, virtually no maintenance/enhancement of the infrastructure other than what's publicly financed, and continuing taxpayer subsidies (as well as "takings" in the form of easements) at the most regressive tax level: state and local taxes. The Corporatist Reich rules.

It's no accident that other "first world" countries run their energy infrastructure as a public utility, owned by the nation itself.