Smoldering over Exelon's layoffs; ComEd parent betting that lights won't dim.

Byline: STEVE DANIELS

Exelon Corp.'s dramatic cost-cutting program is coming under increasing pressure from state officials reviewing the condition of Illinois' electricity grid following the massive blackout that hit much of the East Coast and parts of the Midwest and Canada last month.

But despite the official protests, the Chicago-based parent of Commonwealth Edison Co. is sticking to its cost-reduction goals.

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, whom Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to head an electricity task force studying Illinois' power infra-structure, and