NERC and an American Blackout

Next month, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (better known as NERC) is going to conduct a national exercise simulating a major disruption of the “grid.”  That’s the complicated and fragile system by which the electricity that is the lifeblood of our 21st Century society is distributed coast-to-coast.

This drill, known as GridEx II, could be an important catalyst for actions needed to protect the grid against man-caused and naturally occurring disruptions.  Unfortunately, NERC’s past track record prompts concern that it will try to obscure the grid’s real and dangerous vulnerabilities, rather than identify needed – and long-overdue – corrective actions.

To see what’s at stake, check out the movie “American Blackout” airing Sunday night at 9 on the National Geographic cable channel.  We can’t afford to have this dramatization become our devastating reality.