California deserves sweltering in the heat, or the coldness of darkness. Its 4-year-old experiment in electricity deregulation has resulted in shortages and blackouts. They are experiencing extreme difficulties in keeping the lights on. Wholesale electricity prices in the western US have soared to record levels as a result of booming demand, chronic supply shortages, and higher prices for natural gas, used by most generators to power plants. The situation is desperate, as most California utilities must buy power from outside generators, and they can't pass along higher prices to consumers. Isn't this interesting: the very state that objects to offshore drilling, now faces rolling blackouts and apparent mutiny by generators. It's time to start the drilling again. Ninety percent of the continental US is off limits to drilling.
Dailey J. Berard
President
Universal Fabricators LLC
New Iberia, La.
