Updated June 29 The U.S. grid’s big looming problem: Getting power to where it’s needed The nation's already strained power grid is either at a turning point or poised to dash clean-power visions as it crumbles under the new stresses that will be placed upon it. By Will EnglundThe Washington Post Read Article The American grid often features barely adequate equipment on the local level, but the central issue may be chronic congestion. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says congestion costs the state about $1 billion a year. David J. Phillip/Associated Press In the punishing heat wave that has struck the Pacific Northwest, about 17,000 electricity customers were without power in Washington state on Monday evening. Nearly 20,000 more were in blackouts in Idaho, Oregon, California and Nevada. Those aren’t devastating numbers, but they are a reminder that the electric grid in America is frayed and always operating close to the edge.