A brave new world: Let's look before we leap

The authors point out that we are currently involved in a risky, high-stakes game - changing the structure of our electric power industry without proper consideration of the costs and benefits of the alternatives. They feel changes are occurring without the benefit of comprehensive analysis at a national level. In particular we need a clearer understanding of the following issues: (1) comparison of the economic and security benefits of the present and proposed industry structures; (2) consequences of relying on extensive high-debt financing of future supply; (3) appropriate transmission policies; (4) environmental impacts of changes in the industry; (5) national security implications of a different industry model; and (6) how would increased reliance on nonutility generators affect reliability of the interconnected grid system