This action by Obama is the implementation of the March 16 Executive Order - Resources and Preparedness
http://kaygranger.house.gov/weekly-enewsletter-executive-order-you-should-know-about
Will Drought Cause the Next Blackout?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/opinion/will-drought-cause-the-next-blackout.html?_r=1
Power plants most vulnerable to water scarcity.
Who knew? Power plants use 40% of U.S. freshwater supplies. How will they cope with a drier climate? Who will keep the lights on when the water runs out?
Notes: Thermoelectric plants (nuclear, coal and gas) make up roughly 90 percent of the U.S. electricity mix and they use 40 percent of the nation’s freshwater supplies. Climate change will reduce freshwater supplies and threaten power plants that use water for cooling.
Vulnerability of US and European electricity supply to climate change
In the United States and Europe, at present 91% and 78% (ref. 1) of the total electricity is produced by thermoelectric (nuclear and fossil-fuelled) power plants, which directly depend on the availability and temperature of water resources for cooling. During recent warm, dry summers several thermoelectric power plants in Europe and the southeastern United States were forced to reduce production owing to cooling-water scarcity
Thanks Whenifhow.