IP: DOE and 9/9/99 bug?

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> X-Sender: >X-Sender: warrenamole@mail
> Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 12:46:17 -0700
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
>
>
> another example of those razor-sharp DOE security procedures:
>
> http://www.seattletimes.com/news/technology/html98/bpa_19990909.html
Prank phone call, not 9-9-99, disrupts BPA power



by Patrick Harrington
Seattle Times business reporter

VANCOUVER, Wash. - An effort by the U.S. Department of Energy to 
demonstrate the Year 2000 readiness of the nation's electric 
utilities took an embarrassing twist last night when, in a prank, 
someone disrupted the power flow at Puget Sound Energy with a simple 
telephone call.
The disruption became evident as Energy Secretary Bill Richardson 
toured the control room of the Bonneville Power Administration in 
Vancouver, the largest electric utility in the United States under 
DOE control. Richardson was on hand to observe the rollover from 
9-8-99 to 9-9-99.
Bill Comish, the Y2K coordinator for the Western Systems Coordinating 
Council, said the disruption occurred at a substation operated by 
Puget Sound Energy, which serves large areas of Western Washington.
According to Comish, someone called the substation - its location not 
specified - and directed the operator to open three specific 
circuits, shutting down the power. The operator complied. No 
residents experienced a power outage, said Comish, because the 
station has a backup system in place. ...