Press Release

The Western Governors' Association is seeking federal electricity reliability legislation that would delegate reliability standard setting and enforcement responsibilities to the Council and authorize the formation of Regional Advisory Bodies. The governors have said regional bodies, rather than a federal entity, should be granted that authority because of their familiarity with the issues and their proximity to the people, communities and businesses affected by their decisions.

The WECC, which has a broad-based governing board of public and private sector interests, held its first meeting in Salt Lake City today. In a letter to the council, WGA's leadership said the WECC will be "a vital institution in shaping reliability and related commercial policies in our multi-national Western Interconnection."

The letter was signed by Govs. Jane Dee Hull (Ariz.), WGA Chairman; Judy Martz (Mont.) WGA Vice Chairman; and John Kitzhaber (Oreg.) and Jim Geringer (Wyo.) Co-leads for energy policy.

"The WECC is well-positioned to develop and implement policies that meet the needs of the Western Interconnection," the letter stated. "A Western Regional Advisory Body of states and provinces in the Western Interconnection will be an effective mechanism in helping to ensure that the decisions of the WECC are honored by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission."

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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