State leaders say that in the next few weeks residents and businesses will have to begin reducing their energy consumption by at least 10 percent a day to contend with the expected supply problems. Otherwise, California could face weeks of widespread blackouts. In some ways, that challenge is not new. The Golden State has always had to get along without an abundance of another vital resource, water. At times, shortages have been so severe officials have resorted to rationing.
Some localities even help residents purchase low-flow shower heads and toilets to conserve water.
The limited water supply also is an issue that constantly influences, but rarely halts, housing and commercial development in parts of California, particularly its desert areas east of Los Angeles. But ever since the lights flickered off for the first time since World War II across much of the state a few months ago, many residents have been struggling to cope with, or even comprehend, California's new predicament. California also is a national leader in energy efficiency because it has a mostly mild climate in its heavily populated coastal regions and has strict fuel, building and household appliance standards. It ranks 47th among states in per-capita energy use, a rate better than any other state in the West. Yet even though it is not wasteful, California still needs an enormous amount of energy because of its size.