The power grid in this country is quite old, and vulnerable to an EMP attack or a massive solar flare. With so much of our society dependent on electronic equipment... from food distribution, water sanitation, hospitals, etc... the death toll could possibly be incredible if it went down.
The cost to protect the grid itself would be small when compared to the money spent on other projects, and could save millions of lives, especially in cities and urban centers that heavily depend on the grid itself.
At a minimum, protecting the transformers is a reasonable expense, and would protect the "core" of the grid... making rebuilding much faster, at a justifiable cost.
We petition the President and Congress to protect the power grid and consider support of the SHIELD Act.