41.   The prospect of bankruptcy filings by the two utilities prompted Clinton to set a meeting in Washington on Tuesday.

42.   The two utilities had warned for months that they were sliding toward bankruptcy.

43.   The two utilities owe billions to power wholesalers who shut off their credit, forcing the state to step in and buy electricity.

44.   The two utilities are unable to pass their costs on to their customers.

45.   The three utilities have been hit hard by high wholesale electricity costs.

46.   The two utilities announced their planned merger in December, following a year of financial troubles at PacifiCorp, which is based in Portland, Ore.

47.   Whatever power the two utilities have not been buying from the ISO, they either generate themselves or buy directly from other power generators.