WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said Friday he was
  concerned about the possibility of power blackouts in some parts of the country this
  summer.

  "We don't want to panic anybody, but we are concerned in the upper Midwest, in
  California, in the Southwest and parts of the Northeast," Richardson told CBS News.

  "These are areas that are especially vulnerable because of inadequate transmission,
  inadequate capacity, and we're worried, so we have had a number of emergency drills," he
  said.

  Earlier this week the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) issued its annual
  summer assessment, saying utilities should be able to meet demand but could fall short in
  some regions during hot peak air-conditioning days.

  "We're working with state and local entities to make sure that if there are some blackouts
  that we're ready," Richardson said. "But we are concerned because our electricity grid is
  very old, it's antiquated; and as more people use cell phones and faxes and technologies
  and computers, there's more strain on the system," he added.

  The secretary blamed power utilities for not investing enough money in power generation.
  "Utilities and power companies have not invested in getting more power generation in the
  country," he said.

  "What we need is more competition in the utility industry. There's a lot of monopoly out
  there. We have a bill in Congress to make sure that the utility industry is more competitive,
  so we need that to pass because we have these problems of capacity and transmission. We
  also need to be more energy-efficient as a country," Richardson said.

  Little energy efficiency-saving measures, such as changing filters on air conditioners and
  shutting out light from rooms, make a big difference, the secretary said.

  Richardson forecast that gasoline prices would fall in the coming months.

  "We're predicting that by the end of the summer, even though there's been some increases
  lately, the average will be between $1.40 and $1.45 so there will be some moderate relief,"
  he said. "We're urging everybody to get out there, plan their summer vacations."

  U.S. gasoline prices are averaging $1.53 per gallon currently, one cent per gallon below the
  all-time high that was reached in March before the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
  Countries agreed to boost oil output.

  But industry analysts and consumer groups including the American Automobile Association
  have predicted that gasoline prices at the pump would hit a new record over the upcoming
  Memorial Day weekend and beyond.

  They predict prices will be boosted by high demand from vacationing Americans and by
  expected shortages of the cleaner-burning gasoline that will be required at about a third of
  the nation's gas stations starting June 1.

  On Thursday, gasoline futures in New York trading rose to their highest levels since the
  Gulf War.