U.S. Power Grid Infrastructure Antiquated: Failure Is No Surprise

"The cascading power outages in the Northeast on Thursday underscore what energy experts have been warning about for years: The system can go down anywhere at any time... A 2000 study by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, an international consulting firm, concluded that the North American grid system was overstressed by increasing demand and plagued by gridlock... In addition, vigorous community opposition — the not-in-my-backyard syndrome — has kept new transmission lines from being built. A transmission line proposed for the San Diego area, for example, was recently shot down by the California Public Utilities Commission after much public protest."

Thanks to Chris Steins