FirstEnergy Blamed for Biggest Blackout

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and Canadian investigators on Wednesday largely blamed the August blackout on FirstEnergy Corp, saying the Ohio utility failed to adequately monitor power grid conditions or to trim trees that blocked three of its large transmission lines.


A joint government task force released the results of a three-month investigation on the power outage that left 50 million people without electricity. It said the problems began with the shutdown of an Ohio generating plant owned by FirstEnergy and quickly cascaded into transmission line overload throughout eight states and part of Canada.


"One major conclusion of the interim report is that this blackout was largely preventable," U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham (news - web sites) said.

<snip>

Earlier this month, a separate report by Michigan regulators laid much of the blame on problems in Ohio's power grid. The strongly worded report from the Michigan Public Service Commission pointed to lines and plants owned and operated by FirstEnergy and American Electric Power Co. (NYSE:AEP - news)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&e=17&u=/nm/utilities_blackout_dc

[dpbrown]

1. Kucinich saved Muny Light from FirstEnergy

Thank you, Dennis.

[Options Remain]

2. and as predicted

the feeding frenzy will begin. A company will die. And nothing will be done to resolve the underlying problem.

TearForger

[Tempest]

4. Repug energy bill

There is nothing in the energy bill which will address the problem of the grid bottlenecks and deteriorating equipment.

[Spazito]

3. I just want an apology from those US politicians that were blaming...

Canada for this. I am not holding my breath, however.

[Tempest]

5. Canada came right out and said

"It's not our problem, you hosers."

[Screaming Lord Byron]

6. Yeah, took them all of 10 minutes to blame Ontario. Esp. Bloomberg

Still, us Westerners have been blaming Ontario at the drop of a hat for years.

[Spazito]

7. LOL (shhhhh)

Don't say that, lets get the apology first!

[Pastiche423]

8. Sadly, that will not happen

Would you instead, take a heartfelt apology from me, a USian?

I am deeply sorry that my government, the dickwads they are, accused your lovely country of their own fuck up.

[Spazito]

11. Thanks Pastiche, that is kind of you...we blame Bush and his cabal for..

this, not the average US citizen.

[TahitiNut]

14. Unfortunately, half of our citizens ...

... are below average. :eyes:
But then, so are half of Canada's. :scared: I think I'll emigrate ... to Lake Wobegon. :silly:

[Timefortruth]

9. Is First Energy an AEP company?

nt

[izzie]

10. This is the company I think that gave Bush $100,000.

and was let off doing the things it needed to do.., to up date.

[DUreader]

13. I think it is run or owned by a bush* buddy

[TahitiNut]

15. $111,585 to GOP so far in 2004 cycle.

2004: FirstEnergy Corp ..... $129,750 donated, 14% to Dems, 86% to Reps
2002: FirstEnergy Corp .. $1,047,157 donated, 30% to Dems, 70% to Reps
2000: FirstEnergy Corp ..... $850,415 donated, 27% to Dems, 73% to Reps

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.asp?Ind=E&Cycle=2000

[JM]

12. Here is more info...

... from an inside source.

FirstEnergy was using outdated software ( I believe my source said 1995 last updated, but I am unsure) to monitor their operations. The software consisted of two pieces, one a broadcaster used to send out the information to be monitored, and the listening software on the consoles.

Somewhere in the process, the software component broadcasting the data to the consoles ceased to operate. I am uncertain as to whether or not this was related to the box that was hit with the SLammer virus or not. At any rate, the monitoring consoles were not being refreshed, so after the grid operator started calling about problems, the operators at FirstEnergy trusted their monitors and said "Problem? What problem?

Add to this they had systems that were exposed to the outside network that were not properly secured, and no tracability on the network as to whether or not the problem with their monitoring software was the result of an internet hit, virus, or other unknown.

Later,
JM