I gotta agree with Arney, it's not really a very big deal. It's just the media trying to sensationalize the news again. Even if you count the energy crisis a few years ago, I doubt if most people suffered for more than a few hours without electricy in the past 5 years or so. From what the news was reporting, they made it seem like everybody in California would have to go back to reading by candlelight. It's funny to see the stereotypes people from other states have about California just from what's reported on the news. I've met people from other countries who assume that because I'm from SoCal, I live in a world where earthquakes are constantly shaking my house as I walk through the smoke filled rubble from the constant wildfires while avoiding riots breaking out on every streetcorner. Oh yeah, and I do this all in the darkness because there's no electricty because of the energy crisis and my house was swept away in a mudslide. HA HA! Compared to what other parts of the country have gone through lately, I think we're probably better off than most places.

We may end up paying a bit more for electricity, but I doubt if it'll be as significant increase as most people are assuming. What most people don't realize is that there aren't that many states in this country that have the power pull something like this and force an entire industry to take notice. Just like with automobile industry, how many states could cause manufacturers to make changes the way California does? Would anybody even notice it if it were Rhode Island or Wyoming trying to do anything? Sometimes the changes are a little extreme, but at least they're headed in the right direction (most of the time)