Western Transmission Permitting Protocol

In late June, a number of Western governors and federal agencies signed a transmission permitting protocol that was initially reviewed by CREPC at its October 2001 meeting and later refined.

Since June, all 11 governors of the major states in the Western Interconnection and the Departments of Interior, Agriculture and Energy and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality

have signed the protocol. The last party signed on September 4. WIEB has established a web site for implementation of the protocol.

Under the protocol, the next steps are:

· Governors need to appoint a lead state person for the state. To date, only one governor (NV) has made such appointment (Carl Linvill); and

· Within 120 days governors are to issue executive orders or other administrative action to implement the protocol within their states.

It may be appropriate for state commissions to take action to endorse the protocol and agree to collaborate under its terms.