Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation

Agenda

Monterey, California

October 19-20, 1999

The briefing material for the meeting is hyperlinked under each agenda item. The priority of the briefing material and the date which the material was posted on the web site are noted after each item. Priority 1 items should be downloaded. Priority 2 items provide useful background. Priority 3 items provide additional background information.

If you experience formatting problems when attempting to print the files linked to the agenda, a link to directly download some of the files is provided in brackets. This will allow you to download the file in its original format and should solve any printing difficulties.

Tuesday, October 19

8:30 a.m. Report from the Chair

• Marsha Smith (ID)

9:00 a.m. Federal reliability legislation and the role of the states

• Alan Davis (MT)/Bill Chamberlain (CA)
  
• Next steps for CREPC

Briefing material

• Compromise bill language (Priority 1; posted 10/8) [Download Word File]
• Western Governors Association letter (2; 10/8)
• Western Governors Association resolution (2; 10/8)
• Council of State Governments West resolution (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• WICF letter (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• WSCC letter (2; 10/8) [Download WordPerfect File]
• NERC letter (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• NASEO letter (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• NARUC letter (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]

10:15 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. Western Interconnection Organization

Status of WICF efforts to form the WIO

• Charles Reinhold, WICF
  • Draft Conceptual Structure For the Western Interconnection Organization (1; 10/11) [Download Word File]
  • Workshop evaluation outlines (1; 10/8)
  • Organizational Refinements for Western Interconnection Grid Management (2; 10/8) [Download Word File]
  • Slides from September 28 WICF workshop (1; 10/8) (You can also download this presentation as a Powerpoint presentation by clicking here)

Comments by CREPC participants in the WICF work groups and the September 28 workshop

• Mark Ziering (CA), Phil Carver (OR), Alan Davis (MT), Bill Chamberlain (CA), Tom Flynn (CA), Wally Gibson (NWPPC), Arne Olson (WA), Marsha Smith (ID)
  Discussion of next steps
  
• Dennis Eyre (WSCC), Jim Byrne (WRTA), Dick Brown (SWRTA), Rich Nassief (NRTA)

12:00 a.m. Lunch - on your own

1:15 p.m. Other RTA/WSCC developments

• New Western Market Interface Committee - Jim Byrne, WRTA/Paul Barber, Citizens
  • Draft Agenda: RTA Joint Commercial Practices Meeting (1; 10/8)
  • September 21, 1999 Western Representatives on NERC Committees Meeting (1; 10/8)
• Path allocation/Operational Transfer Capability - Dennis Eyre, WSCC /Jim Byrne, WRTA
  • Operating Transfer Capability Policy Group Policies Addressing Completion of Seasonal Study Work On Schedule (1; 10/8)
  • Operating Transfer Capability Policy Group Policy for Review and Acceptance of Operating Procedures (1; 10/8)
• Regional transmission planning - Jim Eden, PGE
• Reliability Management System - Dennis Eyre, WSCC (1: 10/8) (You can also download this presentation as a Powerpoint presentation by clicking here)
• Y2K preparedness - Dennis Eyre, WSCC (1: 10/8) (You can also download this presentation as a Powerpoint presentation by clicking here)
• Data reporting challenges - Dennis Eyre, WSCC
• E-Tagging - Dennis Eyre, WSCC/Rich Nassief, NRTA
• End user representation in NRTA - Rich Nassief
• Others

2:45 p.m. Break

3:00 p.m. State/Provincial Developments

• Lessons learned from California experience
  • ISO/PX/transmission planning and expansion
  • State/Federal Relations
  • Customer switching
  • Price elasticity response of customer
• Status of Alberta’s "virtual divestiture" (1; 10/8) [Download Word File]
  
• New legislation
  • Oregon (1; 10/8)
  • New Mexico (1; 10/8)
• Mergers
  • Scottish Power/PacifiCorp
  • Nevada Power/Sierra Pacific
• New Centuries Energy/Northern States Power
• Information disclosure and tracking
• Roundtable on other developments

5:30 p.m. Recess

Wednesday, October 20

8:30 a.m. RTOs in the Western Interconnection

The RTO discussion will be organized around specific RTO scenarios. FERC staff and a broad industry panel will respond to the scenarios. The discussion is organized as follows:

1. FERC staff will be asked to make any introductory remarks about the next steps in the rulemaking process.
2. CREPC members will be asked if they have any questions that the panelists need to address beyond those that are stated in the briefing material.
3. Beginning with the Southwest ISO, industry panelists from entities which are postulated to be part of the core geography of the RTO will be asked for their observations on the feasibility of the postulated RTO, the obstacles to its formation, actions that could be taken to overcome those obstacles, and any better ideas they have. Then panelists representing each of the postulated geographic additions to the core RTO will be asked to comment on their interest in joining such an RTO. Panelists representing marketers, independent power producers and customers will then be asked to offer their observations. Industry panelists are asked to address the general questions in the briefing material (and any added by CREPC members at the meeting) and the questions specific to that RTO scenario. The discussion will move rapidly. No formal presentations by panelists are expected. If desired, panelists may bring an overhead slide summarizing points.
4. A summary panel consisting of designated CREPC members will ensure the industry panelists have touched on the following areas in their discussions: governance; pricing; costs and benefits; cost shifting; ancillary services; transmission expansion; and market monitoring. If necessary, the panel will summarize the views expressed by the industry representatives.
5. FERC staff will be asked to comment on how each of the RTO scenarios fits with the minimum characteristics and functions in the NOPR and offer comments on the obstacles identified and potential actions to overcome such obstacles.
6. CREPC members and industry panelists will have the opportunity to ask the industry respondents questions.

• Summary matrix of postulated RTOs and general questions (1; 10/11) (PRINT in LANDSCAPE Format)
• Southwest ISO (1; 10/8)
• Greater-Than-California ISO (1; 10/8)
• Rocky Mountain ISO (1; 10/8)
• Westside Non-Profit Transco (1; 10/8)
• Eastside Transco (1; 10/8)
• Northwest RTO (1; 10/8)
• Western Interconnection ISO (1; 10/8)
• Acronymns (1; 10/8)
• Excerpt of RTO functions and characteristics from FERC NOPR (2; 10/8)
• RTO NOPR summary of state/provincial comments (2; 10/8)

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

• Shelton Cannon or Leon Lowery

Panel of Senior Industry Transmission Policy Makers (links to company RTO comments)

• Mike Raezer, Tucson Electric (3; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• Tony Montoya, Western Area Power Administration (see BPA)
• Gary Porter, Sierra Pacific Resources (3; 10/8) [Download Word File]
• Marshall Empey, UAMPS (3; 10/8)
• Steve Fausett, Tri-State G&T (3; 10/8)
• Don Furman, PacifiCorp (3; 10/8)
• Terry Winter, California ISO (3; 10/8)
• Blane Taylor, New Centuries Energy (3; 10/8)
• Jim Collingwood , Idaho Power (3; 10/8)
• Paula Green, Seattle City Light (3; 10/8)
• Vickie Van Zandt, Bonneville Power Administration (3; 10/8)
• Randy Cloward, Avista (3; 10/8)
• Glen Smyrl, BC Hydro
• Steve Walton, Enron (3; 10/8)
• Paul Barber, Citizens Power
• Peter Esposito, Dynegy (3; 10/8)
• Peter Richardson, Idaho industrial consumers

Summary Panel

The purpose of this panel of selected CREPC members is to ensure the following topics are covered by the industry panel and, if necessary, summarize the responses on these topics.

• Governance: Judy Sheldrew (NV PSC)/Roger Hamilton (OR PUC)
• Pricing: Larry Nordell (MT DEQ)/Wally Gibson (NWPPC)
• Costs and benefits: Dick Hemstad (WA UTC)/Phil Carver (OR OE)
• Cost shifting: Steve Ellenbecker (WY PSC)
• Ancillary services: Dan Nix (CEC)
• Transmission expansion: Alan Davis (MT DEQ)
• Market monitoring: Tom Flynn (CA OB)

• Brian McFaden, Orcom Solutions

4:00 p.m. Business meeting

4:30 p.m. Adjourn

Related Meetings

Monday, October 18 Western Interstate Energy Board of Directors (all day) Thursday, October 21 Workshop on Uniform Business Practices to Develop Fair and Efficient Markets (morning meeting) WRTA Board of Directors (all day)