Knock, Knock. Who's There? Rolling. Rolling Who? Rolling Blackout.

Today's EEI newsletter reports that:

Experts Warn of Serious Power Shortages in Next Few Years

Experts gathered at a recent EEI symposium agreed that without the addition of a significant number of power plants or a larger emphasis on conservation, certain regions of the country will experience power shortages in the coming years, the Washington Times reported. Wrote the newspaper: "Another energy crisis of the magnitude seen in California in 2001, with rolling blackouts and soaring power rates, could occur before the end of the decade because the use of power is growing rapidly, but planning is inadequate for building the new plants and facilities needed to provide future power, said Ed Muller, chairman of Mirant Corp."

Cambridge Energy Research Associates estimated the Mid-Atlantic is two to five years away from supply problems unless immediate steps are taken. Wrote the newspaper: "A boom in construction of power plants fired by natural gas between 1995 and 2001 led to power surpluses from 2002 to 2005, but that spare cushion is rapidly dwindling in the Washington-Baltimore area, California, New York, New England and Florida, the most congested urban regions."

A Pace Global Energy Services report questioned whether new nuclear or new generation coal-based plant could be built quickly enough to head off the envisioned deficiencies. The Times said the report indicated that "if any of the planned coal or nuclear projects are delayed - which seems likely, given opposition from environmentalists and many community activists to both types of power – "the likely result is a near-term bind,"(the report) said. "Higher than expected . . . growth or abnormal weather can speed" the arrival of shortages, "as recent events in California have shown."
Washington Times , Aug. 22.

I understand that the president is (a) insane and (b) totally in the pockets of the oil companies. But, honestly, you'd think SOMEONE in our government would care about the fact that we're already seeing the beginning of the end of our electric system. As the above article makes clear, we can't build our way out of this problem -- siting, permitting, and building new nukes will take a decade or more. So the only answer, one scarcely mentioned in the article is conservation.

Aren't there a few grown-ups in Washington, D.C. who can figure out that, at the very least, rolling nationwide blackouts might not be too good for business? That national security (I'll be damned if I'll use propaganda-laden terms like "homeland") would be seriously threatened by "[a]nother energy crisis of the magnitude seen in California in 2001, with rolling blackouts and soaring power rates"? Could the grown-ups please send George McCocainBrain off to play with Saddam's pistol in the Oval Office (there's honor and dignity restored to that particular piece of real estate!) and pass some serious conservation measures RIGHT NOW?

Hillary Clinton also has some excellent longer-term suggestions.