• Font Size    

Most Watched On KDKA.com

Man Crosses River With Tightrope
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Group Urges PUC To Update Transmission Lines

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +
Aug 19, 2008 11:57 am US/Eastern

Group Urges PUC To Update Transmission Lines

Reporting
Trina Orlando
MT. PLEASANT (KDKA) ― It's been five years since the worst blackout in U.S. history and Pennsylvania business owners want to make sure it doesn't happen again.

The group Pennsylvanians for Reliable Power is calling on the Public Utilities Commission to allow the construction of updated transmission lines to occur as quickly as possible.

Studies show the economy lost between $7 and $10 billion because of the last blackout.

Business owners say another blackout would be devastating.

"What we saw in 2003 was frightening and should have acted as a huge warning for our country that our electrical grid was in desperate need of an upgrade," said David Taylor, executive director of the PA Manufacturers' Association.

The coalition at Tuesday's news conference is made up of more than 50 members from across the state. 

Members are urging people to make their voices heard by the PUC and local legislators.

"The kind of blackout that is predicted to occur would be devastating for my business," said Aftab Khan, Vice President and General Manager at ABB Inc. in Mt. Pleasant.

Khan said a blackout would mean a loss in production and possibly a loss in jobs.


(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Featured Slideshows On KDKA.com

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Local News

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.