Which Way, L.A.?

Power Plant Construction and the Power Crisis

An even bigger mistake than deregulation was California's failure to build new power plants to drive its rapidly growing economy. The state's increasing energy demands require additional plants near regional population centers. Now, in spite of rolling blackouts, even energy projects with state-of-the-art nonpolluting technology are being met with resistance. Why? What can be done? We'll hear from a developer who wants to put a plant in South Gate, that city's mayor, the Sierra Club, and a member of California state energy planner. Newsmaker: Utilities Balk at State Proposal - Negotiations continue between the state and power generators over long-term contracts to stabilize fluctuating energy prices. Jason Leopold, of Dow Jones Newswires, says that peak periods and summer were omitted from last week's bidding process. We could see larger than expected rate jumps because of the natural gas shortage. Reporter's Notebook: Jimmy Carter and An Hour Before Daylight - Former President Jimmy Carter's new book takes its title from the wake-up call on his Georgia peanut farm. It's also symbolic of the time just before the civil rights revolution. Mr. Carter, a champion of civil rights, tells us what his experience taught him about "separate but equal" and talks about race relations in the Deep South -- then, and now. (Originally broadcast on today's To the Point.)