Blackout spurs look at power grid

The northeastern section of our nation was treated to a rare sight the night of Aug. 14: stars twinkling overhead in a darkened sky. The unusual view was courtesy of the biggest blackout ever to occur in North America.

During a 10-second period that afternoon, the blackout shut down power plants, airports, mass transit systems, municipal water systems and countless other services in eight states and two Canadian provinces.

The blackout affected an estimated 50 million people. A convenience we sometimes take for granted, electric service, was interrupted.

Just what caused the blackout? At this writing, the exact cause is being intensely investigated, but its source has been traced to failure of three transmission lines in Ohio.

Experts tend to agree the nation has sufficient electricity generating capacity; our weakness lies in our transmission capacity. Electricity demand has jumped 30 percent in 10 years, but the nation's ability to transmit electricity to meet that demand has increased by only half as much.

Unfortunately the blackout also created an atmosphere ripe for political opportunism. We must be careful not to rush to judgement. Members of Congress and Federal authorities are calling for investigations of the recent blackout. And Congress is presently grappling with an energy bill that can address the problem if written properly.The national transmission system is a very technical issue.

While some electric cooperatives own and maintain some components of the system, most electric cooperatives are heavily dependent on neighboring transmission systems maintained by other utilities.

Our goal is a modern, reliable, affordable electric system capable of meeting the requirements of today's society. We must be careful not to over react without proper study of the problem areas. Before taking millions of dollars from consumers in the form of higher electric bills, Congress must be sure that the money is properly invested in upgrading an inadequate electric transmission system.

It's time to review the overall transmission system and take appropriate action to ensure an event like Aug. 14 never happens again. It will take the efforts of everyone involved in the decision-making process, from Congress to electric providers.

Let's learn from experience and develop an affordable plan to overcome the transmission system's limits and ensure its safe and reliable operation. We will work diligently with the leaders to keep the lights on!