Regarding our "national" power grid:
Due to the size of this country, and the way the US Gov't ....also known internally as the Federal Gov't (Federal= pertaining to/ in charge of / over / the federation of states).... is legally restricted, any rights not specifically enumerated to it default to the state governments. Things such as drivers' licenses, marriage, divorce, incorporation etc. become enacted on the state-level. For cohesiveness and unity, one state agrees to legally and equally recognize the other's granting of such ....agggghhh the word escapes me... decrees, I guess. Similarly many of our commercial and other laws vary tremendously state-by-state. The Federal gov't CAN however get involved if something crosses state lines (involving more than one state) Example: mailing (sending by post) a pirated movie from one state to another. This is best decribed, I'd say as a mother of semi-autonomus teenagers... they have their own ways, thoughts and lives and settle issues between themselves, but momma rules over them, utimately.
So to tie this in to the thread, I believe it becomes impossible legally for the US govt to do certain things on a national scale, even when reasonable to do so. For example: During the oil-embargo and (our) energy crisis of the 70s, when the US govt wanted to reduce speed limits on roads nationally to save energy it could not DIRECTLY do so. It had to say to the states... do this, this, and this or you do not get money to build highways, etc. So it got what it wanted in the national interst --the speed limit reduced to 55 mph (90 km/h?)in all states, but it was the state's authority and soverignty that technically governed. I am therefore of the opinion that it can not dictate and govern directly/easily such things as maintaing the power grid. I have a feeling these things are privately owned or belong to the states.
Thanks for listening..