GOP (Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas)prevent Electrical Blackout fix bill passage

[papau]

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE GOP CONTROLLED CONGRESS:
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGALVFJZPSD.html

Blackout Showed Need for Grid Rules, but They're Mired in Congress

By H. Josef Hebert Associated Press Writer
Published: Apr 6, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - A seven-month investigation into the nation's worst blackout is putting new pressure on Congress to boost the reliability of power grids - but legislation addressing the problem remains in limbo. <snip>

Many of the voluntary rules, managed by a private, industry-sponsored group, were largely ignored by the Ohio power company and others whose failures led to the blackout, the task force said in a 228-page report. <snip>

However, provisions to establish mandatory rules on the electricity industry, along with measures to make it easier to build transmission lines, have been caught up in a partisan fight over broader energy legislation.

As the task force report was being released Monday, Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., took another stab at trying to get his energy bill out of the Senate, announcing he would attach it to a popular jobs bill.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, also cited the blackout findings as a fresh reason to pass energy legislation. But Barton also has said he won't go along with an energy bill that doesn't provide liability protection to the makers of a gasoline additive, MTBE. That issue helped kill the energy bill - and its electricity section - late last year. <snip>
=======================================================
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Blackout was preventable, probe finds (Congress does nothing)

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/04/05/blackout.report/index.html

Blackout was preventable, probe finds
Task force says 2003 outage not caused by terrorist attack
Tuesday, April 6, 2004 Posted: 8:24 AM EDT (1224 GMT)

(CNN) -- Last summer's power outage that plunged parts of eight states and a Canadian province into darkness could have been prevented and was not a terrorist or cyber attack, according to a final report released Monday by an investigative task force.

The task force's co-chairmen -- U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and R. John Efford, Canadian minister of natural resources -- said the group would remain active for another year to push for its recommendations.<snip>

Task force recommendations include:

Strengthening the institutional framework of the North American Electric Reliability Council and developing a funding mechanism for it to help ensure its independence from the companies it oversees.

Addressing deficiencies at FirstEnergy by June 30.

Improving training and certification requirements for operators, reliability coordinators and support staff.

Increasing the network's physical and cyber security.

[cosmicdot]

1. contender for October (November) surprise: blackout on election day

"Barton also has said he won't go along with an energy bill that doesn't provide liability protection to the makers of a gasoline additive, MTBE"

what a disgusting person -- he represents corporations, not people

JOE BARTON (R-TX) 2004
Top Contributors

1 Anadarko Petroleum $49,000
2 TXU Corp $14,750
3 El Paso Corp $11,998
4 Dominion Resources $11,000
5 New York Mercantile Exchange $10,000
5 SBC Communications $10,000
5 Valero Energy $10,000
8 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp $9,250
9 Lyondell Chemical $8,000
10 Wal-Mart Stores $7,500
11 Reliant Resources $7,000
11 Texas Industries $7,000
13 BP Capital $6,000
13 Lehman Brothers $6,000
13 Panda Energy International $6,000
16 Edison Electric Institute $5,801
17 Tti Inc $5,500
17 Verizon Communications $5,500
19 American Dental Assn $5,000
19 American Electric Power $5,000
19 American Health Care Assn $5,000
19 American Society of Anesthesiologists $5,000
19 Clear Channel Communications $5,000
19 Comcast Corp $5,000
19 Constellation Energy $5,000
19 Contran Corp $5,000
19 Electric Power Supply Assn $5,000
19 Exelon Corp $5,000
19 Fluor Corp $5,000
19 GlaxoSmithKline $5,000
19 Koch Industries $5,000
19 Lockheed Martin $5,000
19 MCI Group $5,000
19 Merck & Co $5,000
19 National Assn of Convenience Stores $5,000
19 National Assn of Realtors $5,000
19 National Auto Dealers Assn $5,000
19 National Cable & Telecommunications Assn $5,000
19 National Mining Assn $5,000
19 National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn $5,000
19 Pfizer Inc $5,000
19 Textron Inc $5,000

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?CID=N00005656&cycle=2004

JOE BARTON (R-TX) 2004

Top Industries

The top industries supporting Joe Barton are:

1 Oil & Gas $135,398
2 Electric Utilities $122,451
3 Health Professionals $47,075
4 Lawyers/Law Firms $43,230
5 Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $42,250
6 Misc Finance $36,618
7 Securities & Investment $34,500
8 Lobbyists $31,000
9 TV/Movies/Music $28,750
10 Automotive $28,500
11 Retired $25,089
12 Telephone Utilities $24,500
13 Real Estate $24,250
14 Chemical & Related Manufacturing $22,750
15 Mining $22,000
16 Retail Sales $19,500
17 Misc Energy $17,500
18 Telecom Services & Equipment $15,850
19 Commercial Banks $15,000
20 Railroads $13,750

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/indus.asp?CID=N00005656&cycle=2004

Personal Finances

Cripple Creek #99 $15,001 - $5O,O00
RENT $2,501 - $5,000

Ennis Business Forms $15,001 - $50,000
DIVIDENDS $1,001 - $2,500

Enron None DIVIDENDS NONE
Reliant Energy $1,00I - $15,000
DIVIDENDS $1 - $200

SBC Corporation $11001 $15,000
DIVIDENDS $201- $1,000

TXU Corporation $1,001-$15,000
DIVIDENDS $201 - $1,000

Wal-Mart $1,001-$15,000
DIVIDENDS $201- $1,000



Family Values:

May 14, 2003

• ..
This letter is to clarify a few items that were on my 2001 Financial Disclosure report but will not be on my 2002 Financial Disclosure report because of my divorce. As a result of the divorce these holdings were transferred out of my possession:

The Vanguard Common Stock
Vanguard 500 Index
Main Bank Ennis .......
BP Amoco
Cripple Creek Condo #16 in College Station, Texas
Liberty Lending Mortgage on Cripple Creek Condo #16

http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/pfd2002/N00005656_2002.pdf

[phantom power]

2. "voluntary rules"

>>Many of the voluntary rules, managed by a private, industry-sponsored
>>group, were largely ignored by the Ohio power company and others whose
>>failures led to the blackout, the task force said in a 228-page
>>report. <snip>

The GOP has no trouble with making environmental and safety regulations "voluntary", but they think it's completely appropriate to amend the freaking *constitution* just to make extra, extra *sure* that gays can't marry.

[papau]

3. BBC version of above report

US power cut due to low standards
By Michael Buchanan
BBC correspondent in Washington

An joint US-Canadian investigation into a massive power blackout across North America last year has concluded that it need never have happened.

Tens of millions of people in the northeastern US and parts of Canada were without power for up to two days.

The report says reliance on voluntary industry standards meant that many problems were simply not addressed.


more
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3602923.stm