WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The United States is better equipped to deal with a massive power outage now than five years ago when it was hit by a blackout, federal officials say.
The 2003 episode left 50 million people in parts of the Northeast, Midwest and Canada without power. But officials say the types of problems that produced the widespread blackout have been significantly mitigated, USA Today reported Wednesday.
New standards have been set for power grid upkeep and better monitoring systems have been installed by local utilities, regulators told the newspaper.
"I can definitively say the events that led to the 2003 blackout are much less likely to occur," Rick Sergel, head of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., which is charged with enforcing the new rules, told USA Today.
Congress three years ago gave the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission the authority to set standards requiring utilities to trim trees to prevent them from contacting power lines as well as to ensure that system operators are trained and certified, USA Today said.
But concerns remain. Some experts say the United States doesn't have enough power plants and transmission lines to meet surging demand for electricity.
