Federal government to let New York draw electricity from New England
Energy Department looking at cause of blackout
From John King
CNN Washington Bureau
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President Bush says the federal government is ready to help local governments deal with the blackout.
CNN's Bill Hemmer interviews New York Gov. George Pataki on the status of the power crisis.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Bush administration exercised its authority Friday to make power from New England available to New York, should the state need it as it recovers from a blackout that struck a swath of the United States and Canada.
The Energy Department also was preparing a statement urging consumers in areas affected by the blackouts to heed the advice of local officials and take steps to limit the use of electrical power and electrical appliances as power is restored.
The action to make additional power from New England available to New York was made at the request of New York Gov. George Pataki, administration officials said. The federal government has the authority to open a transmission line across Long Island Sound if a power system on either end of the connector has emergency needs. The line runs into Connecticut.
Federal officials were involved in a number of conference calls with utilities and state and local officials throughout the night and the morning hours Friday.
An Energy Department official involved in the discussions said it probably would "take a little time" to get a definitive answer on the cause of the cascading blackouts.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham was out of the country Thursday, but was in touch with his office and making his way back to Washington, due to arrive Friday afternoon, aides said.
The statement from his office urging conservation measures was to be released Friday morning
