--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/06/opinion/06ANDE.html June 6, 2001 WATTAGE WHERE IT'S NEEDED By ROGER ANDERSON President Bush's energy plan, to its credit, takes on in a coherent way all of the supply and demand elements that make up the nation's energy system, something not attempted since the Carter administration. And as the long view demands, the plan calls for a national system of power transmission -- a national electricity grid. Our increasing use of computers, requiring ever more electricity, makes this grid an absolute necessity. Historically, demand for electricity jumped after each of three technological breakthroughs: lights and motors in the early 1900's, air conditioning in the 1950's, and the rise of personal computers and the Internet in the 1980's and 1990's. Many Americans are unaware of this last enormous surge in electricity use, and the current experience in California suggests we are not ready to meet what is sure to be continuing growth in demand. But a country with an information-based economy cannot afford unreliable supplies of electricity. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/06/opinion/06ANDE.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company ---------------------------------------------------------------------------