Electricity Markets and the Blackout

By Dave Lindorff

When California suffered its energy crisis two years ago, it was first presented as a problem of too little generating capacity and too much demand. It later turned out that the crisis had been man-made. A group of energy companies, led by Enron, had conspired [RETURN TO ARTICLE]

  • Reader Comments

     Page 1 of 1 pages

    As soon as we hear about a HUGE blackout like this, many may assume terrorism, but some of us get the feeling it has everything to do with the real terrorists. This capitalistic, American government is once again scheming their way into everyone’s pocket. Maybe this time it will be to their own detriment. The media coverage on this should be giving us all ants in our pants. The third world countries are still living and dying in horrible conditions, but the struggling subway commuter gets the ratings. Enough is enough. This is another wake up call. When are we going to start living a waking life?

    Canada Posted by Tanya on Aug 15, 2003 at 5:21 PM

    Dave Lindorf is correct, the long distance transmission lines, at first glance, are implicated.  The efficiency of the power grid system poses a big problem: five years ago leading engineers and scientist , in an open letter, warned that the grid couldn’t do the job. 

    I doubt that the regulated utility model was a golden age.  Prices were escalating in NYC.  I suspect the ideological preconception that user fees can pay for the system is an underlying cause, but in the end I have to leave it to the experts.

    United States Posted by nathan riley on Aug 17, 2003 at 3:58 AM

    Whatever has least effort, least cost, and most profit is what the greedy do.  Their lowest bidder computer infrastructure has massively, perhaps fatally, weakened our ability to defend ourselves against terrrorism.

    In this case, as in so many, people died as a direct result of greed.  Those responsible are guilty of manslaughter.  But the zero accountability of the greedy, for the greedy, and by the greedy shall prevail—at least, until we do a national constitutional renewal that creates a political dynamic of sovereign citizen lawmaking enhancing and limiting a still strong, but more regulated representative government.

    The majorities of our state and national legislators are too compromised by the corpocracy to help us.  We the sovereign people will have to take care of ourselves. 

    See the Direct Democracy League web site at http://www.ddleague-usa.net  We’ve been developing a program for national constitutional renewal for over ten years.

    United States Posted by Stephen Neitzke on Aug 17, 2003 at 5:20 AM
     Page 1 of 1 pages

  • register a new account »Posting Security

    To participate in our forums, please register for a free account.
     

    Retreive lost password »