Fixing American Energy

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Investigators are working feverishly to establish the sequence of 10,000 events over thousands of miles of electrical systems. Meantime, there-s continued dispute over the policies and practices that allowed such a massive failure. What was the role of deregulation, which replaced monopolies with marketplace competition? Would alternative energy sources produce a less vulnerable system? Will Congress, the Bush White House and special interests agree on what to do now? We speak with science and financial reporters, environmental advocates and policy analysts about the policies and practices of the utility industry and regulatory agencies that resulted in America-s record-setting blackout.Investigators are working feverishly to establish the sequence of 10,000 events over thousands of miles of electrical systems. Meantime, there-s continued dispute over the policies and practices that allowed such a massive failure. What was the role of deregulation, which replaced monopolies with marketplace competition? Would alternative energy sources produce a less vulnerable system? Will Congress, the Bush White House and special interests agree on what to do now? We speak with science and financial reporters, environmental advocates and policy analysts about the policies and practices of the utility industry and regulatory agencies that resulted in America-s record-setting blackout. Making News: Where Did the Lights Go off First? It took just nine seconds to produce the worst blackout in US history, but it will take a lot longer than that to find out what really happened. Andrew Revkin is following the investigation for the New York Times. Reporter's Notebook: With Thousands Dead, Heat Wave Continues for French Officials The weather in France has finally cooled down, but the political temperature is rising. The health minister admitted that the heat wave may have killed 5000 people, the surgeon general has resigned and the Prime Minister continues to take heat for accusing his countrymen of abandoning elderly people. Marc Burleigh, who reports for Agence France Presse, has more on the deadly heat wave and the subsequent finger-pointing.
Investigators are working feverishly to establish the sequence of 10,000 events over thousands of miles of electrical systems. Meantime, there-s continued dispute over the policies and practices that allowed such a massive failure. What was the role of deregulation, which replaced monopolies with marketplace competition? Would alternative energy sources produce a less vulnerable system? Will Congress, the Bush White House and special interests agree on what to do now? We speak with science and financial reporters, environmental advocates and policy analysts about the policies and practices of the utility industry and regulatory agencies that resulted in America-s record-setting blackout.Investigators are working feverishly to establish the sequence of 10,000 events over thousands of miles of electrical systems. Meantime, there-s continued dispute over the policies and practices that allowed such a massive failure. What was the role of deregulation, which replaced monopolies with marketplace competition? Would alternative energy sources produce a less vulnerable system? Will Congress, the Bush White House and special interests agree on what to do now? We speak with science and financial reporters, environmental advocates and policy analysts about the policies and practices of the utility industry and regulatory agencies that resulted in America-s record-setting blackout.
  • Making News: Where Did the Lights Go off First?
    It took just nine seconds to produce the worst blackout in US history, but it will take a lot longer than that to find out what really happened. Andrew Revkin is following the investigation for the New York Times.
  • Reporter's Notebook: With Thousands Dead, Heat Wave Continues for French Officials
    The weather in France has finally cooled down, but the political temperature is rising. The health minister admitted that the heat wave may have killed 5000 people, the surgeon general has resigned and the Prime Minister continues to take heat for accusing his countrymen of abandoning elderly people. Marc Burleigh, who reports for Agence France Presse, has more on the deadly heat wave and the subsequent finger-pointing.

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Warren Olney