[Redbob]

This article leaves out an enormous amount about the historical reasons that Texas in't connected to the Eastern or Western "grids."

Like the story about the crew sent from one power company up to another company's plant on the Oklahoma border, a plant that wanted to be able to sell power to either state and had a cable connection to the Oklahoma grid.

Somehow in the middle of the night, the cable was cut; the president of the first company had sections of the cable cast in clear plastic and made into paperweights for his friends in Austin!

[new cruelty]

This article leaves out an enormous amount about the historical reasons that Texas in't connected to the Eastern or Western "grids."

What are the other historical reasons?

[lelio]

Somehow in the middle of the night, the cable was cut; the president of the first company had sections of the cable cast in clear plastic and made into paperweights for his friends in Austin!

There's a lesson to be learned here in regards to "free" trade and how it can bite you. If energy trading isn't good for Texas, why is trading with China good for the US?

[Defend the Second]

Redbob:

I used to work for Texas Utilities (now TXU). The cutting of the cable in the middle of the night was carried out by a TU crew at the direction of the then-president of Texas Utilities. At his direction the broken cable was cut into small sections, each was encased in lucite and then handed out to politicians and competitors as paperweights. I have always thought this was a perfect "Texas" true story.

If this action had not been taken two things would have happened: 1. Utilities in the State of Texas would have come under federal regulation, and 2. The sources of fuel for Texas powerplants (coal and natural gas) would also have come under federal regulation. As a Texan I see nothing good about either result.