Satellite view of the blackout. Could AEP transmission lines help set off the power outage? NEW YORK, Aug. 22 ?EUR??,,????'??+ The Wall Street Journal says a May 2003 internal report by the Ohio Public Utilities (OPU) Commission deemed the American Electric Power Co. (AEP) ?EUR??,,????'??stingy?EUR??,,????'?? when it came to equipment and maintenance spending. OPU regulators speculated that the failure of AEP transmission lines may have helped set off the blackout in the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. An AEP spokesman told the WSJ that AEP spent the amount necessary to do its job and be in legal compliance. The OPU report chastised two AEP companies, Columbus Southern Power and Ohio Power, for poor landscaping near power lines as well as not replacing worn-out equipment.