It hasn't because those who run the nation's utilities, when not being sued by the EPA are reluctant to commit millions knowing the government will harass them every step of the way. If Al Gore is elected no new plants will be built and that is why you better start thinking about installing your own generator in the basement. It's a classic case of wanting your cake and eating it, too. California officials want more electric supply but don't want to have local consumers to pay for it. By trying to console consumers with the extension of electricity price controls, officials can only hope that the power industry will nevertheless have both the will and wherewithal to build the new power generation and transmission facilities that the state so urgently needs.
All decisions are, of necessity, a trade off.
With California's booming population, and tech industries, the need for cheap, plentiful power was obvious. The use of resources by man, by necessity changes the environment we live in, and displaces the animals that were using the land before mankind arrived. But the needs of mankind do not allow for the status quo to continue. We need food to eat, so the land must be plowed, and cattle raised, and slaughtered. We need water, so wells must be drilled, and rivers diverted.