The utilities and coal producers want the best of each.

He said the utility wanted to "buy some breathing room to work something out for the longer term."

But electric utilities simply want to postpone new rules while they deal with deregulation.

The utility wants something done by the end of the summer of 1993; replacing the line would cost $130,000.

But he said, "The utilities do not want to build anything; they are still reading the rate-regulators' signals."

The utilities wanted to assess whether a severe earthquake might shake the nuclear plants.

One of the rail lines providing coal was covered in water and the utility wanted to raise that track.

Most nuclear utilities want a transition to free markets that could take as long as a decade.

And if the time comes when utilities want to order new plants, opponents will argue that there is still no place for the wastes.

Big utilities that have plenty of cheap power want to accelerate the process so they can sell outside their territory.