Washington, DC - Congressman Ed Towns (D-Brooklyn) said that Congress must pass new measure to update the country's transmission system in order to prevent a similar blackout from happening again.  In early September, Towns, who is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will be participating in a Congressional investigation into the recent electricity blackouts.  The hearings should provide answers to what went wrong with the transmission grid and recommendations to prevent a similar problem from happening again.

"We need to take what we learn from these hearings and put the solutions into action," said Towns.  "For more than two years, Democrats have put forward numerous proposals to strengthen our transmission system and make sure it is reliable.  Unfortunately, those efforts have been thwarted time and again by the Republican leadership."

"In light of September 11, it is more critical than ever that we invest in our transmission grid.    This is not just a consumer issue anymore but one of homeland security as well.   In the past, some Democrats have proposed offering loan guarantees to improve our existing transmission system.  It would seem that such proposal should be revisited."

Towns also expects the hearings to focus on the benefits of enacting federal standards for electricity reliability.

Although the blackout was a significant inconvenience for New York, Towns says how City residents reacted showed, once again, why this is the greatest city in the world.

"Given the magnitude and duration of the blackout, I was very pleased that nearly everyone remained calm and acted with respect toward one another," Towns said.  "Certainly, I was disappointed by the isolated incidences of looting, but the vast majority of people showed great restraint." 

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