A satellite photo shows America lit up at night. As the nation uses more and more electronic devices, demand for electricity is growing faster than supply. Among areas particularly vulnerable to power disruptions are the West Coast, New England, New York, Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Nevada. Although sizzling weather is partly to blame, deeper causes are behind the nation's greater vulnerability to brownouts and blackouts. The electric industry is undergoing a massive and, not surprisingly, messy deregulation process that is under way in more than half the states.
Some consumer advocates blame deregulation for higher prices.
In New York City, for example, Con Ed now buys its power from other companies. Mr. Petta says that until more generating capacity comes on stream to push prices down, New Yorkers will pay higher rates. Congress is considering legislation that advocates say is urgently needed to bring greater reliability to the delivery of electricity. The Senate recently passed a bill that would create an industry self-regulatory organization to set mandatory reliability standards. In addition to deregulation, a buoyant economy has accelerated electricity demand.