Two days of congressional hearings uncovered something we all found out – dramatically – almost a month ago. The country’s electrical transmission grid is in need of a technological and regulatory overhaul.

There’s a great deal of support in Congress and the country as a whole to address this issue and short-circuit future blackouts like the one in August that left 50 million people in the dark.

Unfortunately, repairs to the grid are currently tangled up with a host of controversial other issues in massive energy legislation being negotiated in conference committee. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and subsidies for nuclear power are just two of several contentious parts of the legislation that threaten to bog down the whole caboodle.

Both parties are playing politics with the electric grid, even while they agree that work must be done. Republicans don’t want to separate the power grid from the rest of the energy bill. They would like to force Democrats to either vote for programs they oppose, like taking oil from ANWR, or risk the wrath of an angry public dissatisfied with inaction on the blackout. Democrats, meanwhile, would just love to tell voters about their efforts to repair the grid, while maintaining their stone-wall opposition to the larger energy bill.

It would be refreshing if substantive reform of the electrical transmission system could be accomplished without myriad deal making, payoffs and pandering wrapped up in the current debate.

It doesn’t seem likely.


Be prepared
Fire is the leading cause of death for children younger than 5 in Maine.

The numbers are shocking. The risk of death in a residential fire for young children is one in 26,000; for everybody else, it’s one in about 81,000.

From 1989 to 1998, there were 173 fire deaths in the state. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, which is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 30 of those killed were kids.

Fatal fires aren’t that common, but there’s no excuse for being unprepared. By taking a few minutes to develop a household escape plan, families can greatly reduce the threat posed by fire. Think about different ways to exit your house and decide on a place for everyone to meet. Knowing where to go and what to do can save lives.

Smoke detectors also save lives. They should be installed and tested monthly. Two-thirds of fatal fires that claim a child happened in houses without working alarms.

Finally, teach kids about fire and to stay away from matches and lighters.

Just a little bit of effort goes along way. Develop a plan, install smoke detectors and teach fire safety. These simple tasks could make a huge difference.
[email protected]