A method and system for controlling the supply of power to a circuit card in a card shelf includes automatically generating a deactivation signal in response to disconnection of a non-power link between the circuit card and a backplane of the card shelf. Power is automatically removed from a power link between the circuit card and the backplane while the power link is connected in response to the deactivation signal. An activation signal is automatically generated in response to connection of the non-power link between the circuit card and the backplane. The supply of power is automatically restored to the power link between the circuit card and the backplane in response to the activation signal. The activation signal and deactivation signal may be disparate values of a common signal.