You can argue whether that's real or manufactured. Generators have repeatedly denied any tinkering with the marketplace, but both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the California attorney general are investigating the producers' business practices. In the end, the PUC disallowed Edison's request for bilateral contracts, but approved a limited version of the block-forward market. But Nelson said the proposal was so limited by the PUC that it failed to offer any relief for the coming crisis. The restrictions were so tight that it couldn't have worked.
Critics say they're trying to turn out the lights on democracy.
Lackeys of the power industry want us to think so.