[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 705-706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-340]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
18 CFR Part 35

[Docket Nos. RM95-8-000 and RM94-7-001]


Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access 
Nondiscriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities; Recovery 
of Stranded Costs by Public Utilities and Transmitting Utilities; 
Notice of Technical Conference and Potential Broadcast of Technical 
Conference Concerning Independent System Operators and Reform of Power 
Pools Under the Federal Power Act

January 4, 1996.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Technical Conference and Potential Broadcast of 
Technical Conference.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) notifies 
interested persons that it will hold a technical conference regarding 
independent system operators (ISOs) and power pools on January 24, 
1996, at 9:30 A.M. The Commission has invited specific persons with 
technical expertise to participate in the conference. Their names, and 
an agenda for the conference, are attached. This notice also provides 
interested persons with the necessary information by which they may 
seek to receive the broadcast of the conference.

DATES: Persons interested in receiving the broadcast of the conference 
for a fee must notify Shirley Al-Jarani or Julia Morelli at the Capitol 
Connection (703-993-3100) by January 10, 1996. The conference will be 
held on January 24, 1996, at 9:30 A.M.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen A. Tomcala (Legal Issues), Office of the General Counsel, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 
20426, (202) 208-0464
Carolyn A. Berry (Technical Issues), Office of Economic Policy, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 
20426, (202) 208-2227

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of 
this document in the Federal Register, the Commission also provides all 
interested persons an opportunity to inspect or copy the contents of 
this document during normal business hours in the Public Reference Room 
at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
    The Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS), an electronic 
bulletin board service, provides access to the text of formal documents 
issued by the Commission. CIPS is available at no charge to the user 
and may be accessed using a personal computer with a modem by dialing 
(800) 856-3920 or (202) 208-1397 if dialing locally. To access CIPS, 
set your communications software to 19200, 14400, 12000, 9600, 7200, 
4800, 2400, or 1200 bps, full duplex, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop 
bit. The full text of this document will be available on CIPS in ASCII 
and WordPerfect 5.1 format. The complete text on diskette in 
WordPerfect format may also be purchased from the Commission's copy 
contractor, La Dorn Systems Corporation, also located in the Public 
Reference Room at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
    At the Commission's technical conference on comparability for power 
pools held December 5 and 6, 1995, several speakers described proposals 
for developing independent system operators (ISOs) as one method to 
address full competition and comply with the Commission's open access 
and comparability requirements.\1\ Power pools considering the 
formation of ISOs include PJM, NEPOOL and NYPP.

    \1\ See Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access Non-
discriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities; Recovery 
of Stranded Costs by Public Utilities and Transmitting Utilities, 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Supplemental Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking, 60 FR 17662 (April 7, 1995), IV FERC Stats. & Regs. 
para. 32,514 (1995) (Open Access Proceeding).
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    To follow up on the issues raised during the December technical 
conference, the Commission will hold a 

[[Page 706]]
technical conference on issues relating to ISOs and power pools on 
January 24, 1996, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The speakers for the technical 
conference are:

Panel One

Hon. William Daniel Fessler, President, California Public Utilities 
Commission (invited)
John Rowe, President and CEO, New England Electric System
Paul Joskow, MITSUI Professor of Economics and Management, 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Steven J. Kean, Vice President, Enron Power Marketing, Inc.
J. Leroy Thilly, General Manager & Counsel, Wisconsin Public Power, 
Inc.

Panel Two

E. Linn Draper, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO, American Electric 
Power Company
William W. Hogan, Thorton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy & 
Management, Harvard University
Alan Richardson, Executive Director, American Public Power Association
Jeanine Hull, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, LG&E Power 
Inc.
Steven Walton, P.E., Manager, Transmission Policy & Pricing, Pacificorp

The conference will be held at the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    The purpose of the technical conference is threefold. First, the 
Commission expects the participants to help us define the essential 
elements and operational characteristics of an ISO.
    Second, the Commission wishes to explore the development of 
principles that should be applied in reforming power pools, including 
evaluating ISO proposals by power pools, to ensure that they are not 
unduly discriminatory under the Federal Power Act. The Commission is 
particularly interested in exploring whether the creation of ISOs is 
necessary to ensure comparability of transmission service by power 
pools.
    Third, the Commission is aware that public utilities that are not 
members of power pools also are considering the formation of ISOs. The 
Commission is interested in exploring the development of criteria for 
evaluating these types of ISO proposals as well. As is the case with 
power pools, the Commission is interested in whether ISOs are necessary 
to ensure comparability for public utilities that are not members of 
power pools.

Broadcast of Technical Conference

    If there is sufficient interest, the Capitol Connection may 
broadcast the technical conference on January 24, 1996, to interested 
persons. Persons interested in receiving the broadcast for a fee should 
contact Shirley Al-Jarani or Julia Morelli at the Capitol Connection 
(703-993-3100) no later than January 10, 1996.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-340 Filed 1-9-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M