Energy Commissioner Warns of ‘Major Threats’ to Power Grid

With a hotter than usual summer projected, federal agencies are warning utilities of an "elevated risk" of power outages across two-thirds of North America between June and September. Carlos Giusti/AP Photo

Hope is powerful, however, it won’t keep the air conditioner on when summer temperatures soar and demand for electricity skyrockets, causing an overburdened electrical grid to grind to a halt.

Yet, that seems to be the Biden administration’s plan in addressing warnings that nine North American regional electrical grids face an “elevated risk” of power outages this summer, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Mark Christie says.