Power Loss The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System

In the late 1990s, Americans for the first time found themselves in the position of being able to choose an electricity provider. In this book, Richard F. Hirsh explains how and why this radical restructuring occurred. He starts by describing the successful campaign by utility managers in the first decade of the 20th century to protect their industry from competition. Seven decades later a series of largely unanticipated events, including the accumulated effects of technological stagnation, the 1973 energy crisis, and the rise of the environmental movement, undermined the managers' control of the system. New players such as academics, environmental and consumer advocates, politicians and potential competitors began to affect public perception of the industry.;Hirsch follows the flow of power as this transformation occurred. He also examines the relationship between technological innovation and regulation, showing how ideas such as cogeneration stimulated questions about the value of government oversight of the system.