Blackout: A Case for Energy Regulation?

Half of survey respondents think the government must take a stronger hand in regulating the electric industry.

By Kathleen Carr

October 01, 2003 — CSO — On Thursday, Aug. 14, the lights went out in Cleveland, Detroit, New York City and Ontario, Canada. Thousands of people navigated dark city streets and subway tunnels. In Cleveland, where the electricity pumps the lakes, these same folks went without a drop of water during one of the hottest days of the summer. Not fun. We polled readers to find out how the blackout affected their businesses, and 382 of you responded. Half of you think the government must take a stronger hand in regulating the electric industry. To view the entire survey, find it online at www.csoonline .com/printlinks. Here's where you think the fault and the solution lie.

What is the best way to achieve critical infrastructure protection?

55% The government should expand oversight of the electric industry

31% Voluntary compliance

14% Unsure

What was the root cause of August's power failure?

33% Out-of-date systems

15% Technical malfunction

14% Unsure

11% Other

11% Human error

6% Transmission problems

6% Confluence of events

4% Sabotage

Read more about business continuity in CSOonline's Business Continuity section.

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