Use of English PRO

In 2000 and 2001, California was (0) EXPOSED (EXPOSE) to a series of rolling blackouts. Electric utilities in the state had been (1) ............ (REGULATD) in the 1990s. This led to higher (2) ............ (WHOLE) energy costs. It also provoked financial problems of unimaginable (3) ............ (SEVERE) for many of the state's electric utilities. By the time of the blackouts, California had not (4) ............ (SIGNIFICANT) invested in new power plants in a decade, and it had been forced to import a significant portion of its electricity from surrounding states. A drought in the Pacific Northwest (5) ............ (DRAMA) reduced the amount of electricity available for import from hydroelectric power plants in the region. This drove up the price for electricity in the market, leading to a (6) ............ (RESIST) on the part of the electric companies in the other states to sell to California. In addition, a hotter than usual summer led to (7) ............ (PREDICTABLE) spikes in demand that California's system could not handle. Rolling blackouts hit the Bay area first, then hit cities throughout northern and central California, and, by March 2001, the entire state. The (8) ............ (GOVERN) authorities intervened early to require electric companies to sell to California, but blackouts continued, and the situation has still not been resolved.