The Dark Days of Summer?

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) officials are warning that Southern California's energy supply could be strained this summer, and even worse next year.

The southern half of the state "is the worst electricity supply situation in the entire country," Joseph Kelliher, a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said at an electricity conference in San Francisco."

It's indisputable that there are problems, and some problems have remained for some time," he said.

FERC Chairman Patrick H. Wood III, reflecting on the chaotic blackout days of the California energy crisis in 2000 and 2001, expressed disappointment."I thought we would be further along after four years," he said. "It's a bit disheartening, quite frankly, to see we're looking at a potentially tight summer and maybe two."

Disheartening indeed.