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This story appeared on http://www.individual.com December 7, 2000
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Calif. Asked To Delay Holiday Lights



By COLLEEN VALLES
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation  -
Gov. Gray Davis was in the holiday spirit
when he lit the Christmas tree at the state Capitol, but he quickly
pulled the plug as part of a statewide effort to conserve energy.


The 56-foot white fir was lit in Sacramento for about five
minutes Tuesday, then turned off for 2{ hours until 7:30 p.m.,
after the peak of the day's electrical use.


``In some parts of California, people are going without power,''
Davis said. ``I would love to keep the lights on. But it's
important that we all pull together to reduce the strain on the
grid.''


Officials have called on residents to delay the start of outdoor
holiday lighting, keep thermostats set at 68 degrees and turn off
computers and lights when not in use.


Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers face an average bill of
$77 this December compared with an average of $50 a year ago.


Part of the problem is a decreasing supply of natural gas
nationwide, said Claudia Chandler, assistant executive director of
the California Energy Commission.


Low natural gas prices over the past few years led to a decline
in drilling and production. That is now picking up, but the
products of those efforts will not hit the market for up to two
years.


The high price of electricity and petroleum also are driving up
the cost because much of the natural gas supply goes to electricity
generation.


Electricity shortages are plaguing the state, with Stage Two
emergencies declared Monday and Tuesday by the California
Independent System Operator _ leading to the request for
Californians to keep holiday lights off and to lower home
thermostats.


A Stage Two emergency means the state is within 5 percent of
running out of power. During Stage Two emergencies, suppliers are
allowed to cut power to commercial customers with interruptible
contracts.


The next step, when reserves fall below 1.5 percent, is a Stage
Three, which triggers rotating blackouts.


Monday's peak demand of more than 34,000 megawatts was close to
the wintertime record, and supplies could get even tighter with
colder weather forecast later in the week.


There have been six separate Stage Two emergencies declared in
the past three weeks. The problem has been exacerbated because some
power plants are out of commission while owners perform needed
maintenance.


Los Angeles is not hooked to the California Independent System
Operator, the state agency that runs the electricity system for
about 75 percent of the state, and has sufficient power for all
uses, including holiday lighting.


___=???On the Net:???California Independent System Operator: http://www.caiso.com???California Energy Commission: http://www.energy.ca.gov???Pacific Gas and Electric: http://www.pge.com??????_________________________________________________________??Individual.com is the #1 provider of free, individualized news?and information to business people over the Internet.  Visit us at?http://www.individual.com to browse the largest free collection of business,?financial, industry, trade, and company-specific news and information?on the web.??This news story was sent by Karen Denne through Individual.com.?You will not receive email messages directly from Individual.com?unless you register at http://www.individual.com.??Get more headlines and stories like this delivered FREE to your?desktop every business morning! Register at ?http://www.individual.com/welcome.shtml.??Individual.com also brings you FREE news on your investments!?Sign up at http://www.individual.com/welcome.shtml.?___________________________________________________________??Entire contents Copyright , 1999-2000, Individual.comv, Inc.,?8 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA, 01803, USA