Deregulation and Niagara Mohawk - Is There a Story?

It's just a few hours after the Northeast U.S. power outage, and facts are trickling in; as of right now, it looks like an accidental overload knocked out a large part of the Niagara Mohawk power grid. A few years ago, California went through rolling blackouts that were largely due to a poorly-executed deregulation of that state's power industry. The question that's probably occurring to many of us is, did late-'90s deregulation play a role in today's power event? I don't know the answer, so I'm turning it over to you -- moderators, please check links and up-mod the most informative, pro or con. Here is some information to get you started: "We support deregulation 100 percent..." (N-M spokesman, 1997; notes N-M wanted to sell generators and "concentrate on the transmission and distribution of energy" -- did it?); N-M made some bad investments and is scheduled to request a rate hike (did it?); and N-M's own website says: "Deregulation [has] changed the laws and regulations governing the electricity industry to promote competition..." (how so?).

It would much more responsible...

[Anonymous Coward]

...if you asked us to pass judgment on the guilt of Scott Peterson or Kobe Bryant. It's way too early to turn this into a rant against deregulation.

There *will* be a test

[dfay]

"We support deregulation 100 percent..." (N-M spokesman, 1997; notes N-M wanted to sell generators and "concentrate on the transmission and distribution of energy" -- did it?);
N-M made some bad investments and is scheduled to request a rate hike (did it?);
and N-M's own website says: "Deregulation [has] changed the laws and regulations governing the electricity industry to promote competition..." (how so?).


Also, show your work.

Pencils down!

rumours?

[forgetmenot]

Yes. Let's turn slashdot into a rumour-mill.
Oh wait...

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[TedCheshireAcad]

Oh God no, no power to run the computers.

You mean I actually have to interact with people?????

let's be polite...

[Anonymous Coward]

i think that we should hold on this discussion topic until those from the north east coast can join in. everyone please stop posting.

Re:DAMN!

[TedCheshireAcad]

You must be new here.

Wild speculation is our business.

*Sees 4-digit UID* oh...wait

Re:I say...

[TedCheshireAcad]

How can I steal data if all the computers are off?

Ohhh, you mean stealing in real life.

That ain't gonna happen, there's natural light out there. You know what natural light does to a well CRT-baked skin.

Sorry!!!

[Chester K]

Sorry everyone, this one was my fault... I accidentally plugged my toaster oven in the same outlet as my microwave. :(

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[Anonymous Coward]

Which means that CNN hasn't found a suitable Republican to pin this on. Give it a few hours, they'll find somebody.

Re:DAMN!

[kzinti]

You must be new here. Wild speculation is our business.

Yeah, but not just ANY wild speculation. We can achieve wild speculation based on crazy assumptions, tortured logic, and all in the lack of a single relevant datum! Geeze... don't sell us short!

Re:Power Outage - More of the same

[hondo77]

At least it's a break from hearing about the recall in California (and I live here).

Re:The real question

[Poeir]

Go outside? But there's this weird kind of light. It doesn't seem to make any kind of buzzing sound at all. I don't trust it.

It's all the Sims' fault!!!

[slouie]

If the damn Sims would simply accept paying more taxes, I could build the nuclear plant and maybe get a stadium too. It would make them all happier too!

Why Is My Power Plant Aging So Quickly? [ea.com]

Hmm. Night approaches....

Why Am I Getting Riots? [ea.com]

Re:This is poor journalism

[bigjnsa500]

Oh cmon!! Its natural for journalism to delve into a story for sheer *thrill*, THEN report the facts after the fact on page 18 in small print three days later.

Re:I say...

[TedCheshireAcad]

Thanks god idiots like you don't receive karma for those "jokes" anymore.

Yep. That's why I got modded up. Twice.

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, CNN has been so hard on the Republicans these days, which is so unfair because so many Republicans have been doing so many things so very well. The way they blow any little scandal all out of context and proportion and just harp on it for weeks on end, their steady refusal to walk the party line, their whole anti-war attitude, their open mockery of the president, it's just ridiculous. And I hate how they have that "Impeach Bush" ticker running across the bottom of the screen all the time. Damn liberal media. That's why I only watch Fox.

Moment of silence

[abe ferlman]

Let's all have a moment of silence for all the linux and *bsd boxen whose legendary uptimes were mercilessly snuffed out by this service interruption. Some clung to their UPS's bravely until every ampere of juice had been drained.

They will be missed, and we will build even longer uptimes to replace them.

DAMN!-Sacrificial geeks.

[Anonymous Coward]

"The people that RUN THE FSCKING GRID do not know what went wrong and /. is posting articles asking if X caused it???"

It's my firm belief that not sacrificing enough geek virgins is what caused it. The geek gods are displeased.

MWAH HA HA BLASTER STRIKES AGAIN!!!

[DCowern]

I wonder if the systems at the power plants had DCOM enabled.... :-)

LINUX FOR THE NUKES!!!

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[Darby]

I suppose we'll find out the facts soon enough, though.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have an optomist among us.

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[Gilmoure]

But they now have the perfect excuse for a rate hike. A quarter or two will look bad but profits will be up in the near future (or so I surmise, based on my long experience playing Alpha Centauri, whacking people with sticks in the SCA and drinking large amounts of Guinness listening to Clan N'gal late at night).

Re:DAMN!

[Phroggy]

Kids these days, with their fancy 4-digit UIDs. Why, back in my day, wild speculation was all we had, and we were grateful. Doesn't anyone show any respect anymore?

hehehehe

Re:We will have to wait and see a bit

[LinuxHam]

The california problems were cronic problems

cronic? Yeah, I guess the power failures did happen at regular intervals.

Re:We will have to wait and see a bit

[Kevin DeGraaf]

1100MW nuclear reactor

Would that be one point one jigga-watts [imdb.com]?!?

The 10,000 volt Ghost

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously this is the work of the 10,000 volt ghost and rest assured Scoob and the gang are already at work medelling around for clues.

Re:Moment of silence

[grendel_x86]

The one good thing... there has been FAR LESS trolling since this started... im guessing the most trolling /.ers are from the North-East USA/ South-East Canada.

Re:Moment of silence

[clone22]

Real geeks use natural gas generators.

Re:Nothing to do with deregulation

[bheerssen]

if there is place to put the blame, CNN hasn't found it yet

Oh, but they will... they will. Even if they get it wrong the first time, they can always contradict themselves later.