Bodman says more work 'remains to be done' to bolster power grid

Washington (Platts)--12Aug2005

US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman Friday marked the anniversary of the August
2003 blackout that hit the eastern and midwest US and parts of Canada by
highlighting steps that have been taken to improve reliability of the two
countries' power grids. 

"Two years ago, American families and businesses throughout the Northeast were
plunged into darkness because of multiple factors leading to the failure of
the power grid," Bodman said. "Since that time, we've made significant
improvements, but more work remains to be done." He said the 2005 Energy
Policy Act signed Monday by President Bush would further improve the US grid. 

The blackout led to a commitment by the US and Canadian governments and the
utility industry to prevent future outages. The new law, he added, will help
by making utility compliance with reliability standards mandatory and
enforceable. The law also establishes an electric reliability division at the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that will advise FERC on standards
proposed by industry-based organizations.

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