1.   Almost all states are considering ways to allow industrial, commercial and residential consumers to choose their own power supplier.

2.   Already, the federal government has ordered companies to open their wires to competing power suppliers so they can transmit low-cost electricity across state lines.

3.   Anticipating rules that let customers pick their power suppliers, utilities are seeking partners to help them shoulder the burden of cutting costs of generating electricity.

4.   At a minimum, the problems in California have frayed relations among power suppliers in the West.

5.   A federal emergency order requiring out-of-state power suppliers to sell excess energy to California expires at midnight tonight.

6.   But critics, including some power suppliers and consumer groups, have criticized the campaign as extravagant, simple-minded and ineffectual.

7.   But further blackouts Wednesday were averted when U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson extended an emergency order requiring power suppliers to sell electricity to California.

8.   But whether power suppliers would pay more under board authority is open to question.

9.   Competition among power suppliers was pushing down the price of electricity.

10.   Congress this year is expected to deregulate power sales, letting consumer choose their power suppliers in much the same way they currently choose long-distance telephone providers.