[United States Government Manual] [July 01, 1995] [Pages 258-269] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 258]] DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585 Phone, 202-586-5000 SECRETARY OF ENERGY Hazel R. O'Leary Deputy Secretary William H. White Associate Deputy Secretary for Field Management Donald W. Pearman, Jr. Under Secretary Charles B. Curtis Deputy Under Secretary for Technology Alexander MacLachlan Partnerships and Economic Competitiveness General Counsel Robert R. Nordhaus Inspector General John C. Layton Assistant Secretary, Congressional and Carolyn Herr Watts, Intergovernmental Affairs Acting Assistant Secretary, Policy Susan F. Tierney Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Tara J. O'Toole Health Assistant Secretary, Human Resources and Archer L. Durham Administration Assistant Secretary, Fossil Energy Patricia F. Godley Assistant Secretary, Defense Programs Victor H. Reis Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Christine A. Ervin Renewable Energy Assistant Secretary, Environmental Management Thomas P. Grumbly Administrator, Energy Information Jay E. Hakes Administration Director, Fissile Materials Disposition Gregory P. Rudy, Acting Director, Worker and Community Transition Robert W. DeGrasse, Jr. Director of Public and Consumer Affairs Michael G. Gauldin Director of Energy Research Martha A. Krebs Director of Civilian Radioactive Waste Daniel A. Dreyfus Management Director of Hearings and Appeals George B. Breznay Director of Nonproliferation and National Kenneth E. Baker, Security Acting Chief Financial Officer Joseph F. Vivona Director of Nuclear Energy, Science and Terry R. Lash Technology Director of Science Education and Technical Terry Cornwell Rumsey Information Director of Economic Impact and Diversity Corliss S. Moody Director of Quality Management Nancy Weidenfeller Director of Secretary of Energy Advisory Board Peter F. Didisheim, Acting Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Elizabeth Anne Moler [[Page 259]] [[Page 260]] The Department of Energy provides the framework for a comprehensive and balanced national energy plan through the coordination and administration of the energy functions of the Federal Government. The Department is responsible for long-term, high-risk research and development of energy technology; the marketing of Federal power; energy conservation; the nuclear weapons program; energy regulatory programs; and a central energy data collection and analysis program. The Department of Energy (DOE) was established by the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7131), effective October 1, 1977, pursuant to Executive Order 12009 of September 13, 1977. The act consolidated the major Federal energy functions into one Cabinet-level Department, transferring to DOE all the responsibilities of the Energy Research and Development Administration; the Federal Energy Administration; the Federal Power Commission; and the Alaska, Bonneville, Southeastern, and Southwestern Power Administrations, formerly components of the Department of the Interior, as well as the power-marketing functions of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation. Also transferred to DOE were certain functions of the Interstate Commerce Commission and the Departments of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, the Navy, and the Interior (42 U.S.C. 7152-7156). Offices managing programs which require large budget outlays or provide technical direction and support are structured to reflect the principal programmatic missions of the Department: Energy Programs, National Security and Environmental Management Programs, and Science and Technology Programs. The Energy Programs area includes the Offices of the Assistant Secretaries for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Fossil Energy; the Power Marketing Administrations; and the Energy Information Administration. The Science and Technology Programs area includes the Offices of Energy Research, Science Education and Technical Information, and Nuclear Energy, Science and Techology. The National Security and Environmental Management Programs area includes the Offices of the Assistant Secretaries for Defense Programs and Environmental Management; the Offices of Nonproliferation and National Security; Worker and Community Transition; Technology Partnerships and Economic Compeititveness; Fissile Materials Disposition; and Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. The Department's organization also includes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which is an independent regulatory organization within the Department. Office of the Secretary Secretary The Secretary, as Chief Executive Officer, provides the overall vision, programmatic leadership, management direction, and administration of the Department. The principal offices serving the Secretary include the Deputy Secretary, Under Secretary, General Counsel, Inspector General, Chief Financial Officer, and the Assistant Secretaries. The following units, whose public purposes are broadly applied, are detailed further. Staff Offices Field Management The Associate Deputy Secretary for Field Management provides centralized responsibility for strategic planning, management coordination, and oversight of the Department's field operations, in general; and, specifically, for executing programs and projects accomplished through the Department's eight multipurpose operations offices. This office is also responsible for establishing and managing procedures for receiving, tracking, and conducting investigations related to ``whistleblower'' reprisal complaints; preparing cases for adjudication; and establishing procedures for processing appeals to the Secretary of Energy for appropriate action. [[Page 261]] Policy The Assistant Secretary for Policy formulates, recommends, and manages national and international policy development, strategic plans, and integration of departmental policy and program and budget goals; conducts integrated policy analyses; conducts systematic evaluations of the Department's programs to ensure that each maximizes its contributions to the national energy strategy and the Department's goals and objectives; ensures that U.S. international energy policies and programs conform to national goals, legislation, and treaty obligations; coordinates cooperative international energy programs with foreign governments and international organizations, such as the International Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency; and develops and tests energy emergency plans and analyzes departmental energy emergency capabilities and vulnerabilities. Environment, Safety and Health The Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health provides independent oversight of departmental execution of environmental, occupational safety and health, nuclear/ nonnuclear safety and security laws, regulations, and policies; ensures that departmental programs are in compliance with environmental, health, and nuclear/nonnuclear safety protection plans, regulations, and procedures; provides an independent overview and assessment of Department-controlled activities to ensure that safety-impacted programs receive management review; and carries out the legal functions of the nuclear safety civil penalty and criminal referral activities mandated by the Price-Anderson Amendments Act. Hearings and Appeals The Office of Hearings and Appeals reviews and issues all final DOE orders of an adjudicatory nature, other than those involving matters over which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exercises final jurisdiction. The Office is responsible for considering and issuing decisions on appeals from orders of a regulatory nature issued by DOE components and requests for exception or exemption from any regulatory or mandatory requirements. The Board of Contract Appeals hears and resolves appeals pertaining to contract-related matters. The Board may act as the Department's Contract Adjustment Board, the Financial Assistance Appeal Board, or the Invention Licensing Appeal Board. Economic Impact and Diversity The Office of Economic Impact and Diversity advises the Secretary on the effects of energy policies, regulations, and other actions of the Department and its components on minorities, minority business enterprises and minority educational institutions, and on ways to ensure that minorities are afforded an opportunity to participate in energy programs of the Department; carries out policy, plan, and oversight functions under sections 8 and 15 of the Small Business Act relating to preferred programs for small businesses, disadvantaged business, labor surplus area concerns, and women-owned businesses; and administers the policy, procedures, plans, and systems of the Department's equal opportunity and civil rights activities. Office of Worker and Community Transition This Office develops policies and programs necessary to plan for and mitigate the impacts of changing conditions on the workers and communities affected by the Department's mission changes; assures that those policies and programs are carried out in a way that guarantees fair treatment of all concerned, while at the same time recognizing the unique conditions at each site and in each contract; and assists those communities most affected by the changing missions at Department sites by using the Department's resources to stimulate economic development. The primary functions of the Office include: --serving as the focal point for the Department on matters of worker and community transition; --developing the policies and guidelines for all aspects of work force restructuring; [[Page 262]] --developing the policies and guidelines necessary for community transition; --providing necessary analytical capabilities to develop profiles and trend analyses of current contractor work force capabilities, needed work force skills, and traning or acquisition needs and developing strategies for addressing those needs through retraining or recruitment; --providing oversight and assistance to sites in conducting cost- benefit and other analyses arising out of contract reform, section 3161 of the 1993 national defense authorization act, and related work force issues or initiatives; --reviewing and coordinating policies of other Energy Department organizations that affect worker or community transition, including policies in Environment, Safety and Health, Facility Management, Procurement, Contract Reform, and Facility Transition; --providing assistance and review of field activities to assure fairness in the policy toward workers and communities across the Department of Energy complex and monitoring performance to assure plan objectives and agreements are carried out; and --serving as the point of contact for national labor organizations and oversee the collective bargaining process of the Department to assure compatibility with contract reform initiatives and compliance with section 3161 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993; and assisting sites, where necessary, by providing technical, legal, or other assistance with labor relations. Office of Quality Management This Office assists and supports Department of Energy executives and managers in their charge to implement the principles and culture of quality management within the Department. Through Total Quality Management, the Office supports the implementation of performance measures throughout the Department. The primary functions of the Office are: --developing and implementing the Department's quality initiative strategy and promoting and guiding the use of total quality principles; --providing information and technical assistance to departmental officials on customer identification, performance measures, measurement of service quality, process improvement methods and tools, and statistical analysis; --designing, coordinating, and providing leadership and Total Quality Management training for senior staff and managers and staffers Departmentwide; --facilitating and providing technical advice and staff support to the Department Leadership Group and Quality Council which are responsible for championing the Secretary's Quality Initiative; --coordinating and supporting the implementation of performance measures throughout the Department; and --serving as the point of contact and liaison for quality management activities within the Department and with the Federal Quality Institute, other Federal agencies, and external entities. Energy Programs Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is responsible for formulating and directing programs designed to increase the production and utilization of renewable energy (solar, biomass, wind, geothermal, alcohol fuels, etc.) and improving the energy efficiency of transportation, buildings, industrial systems, and related processes through support of long-term, high-risk research and development activities. The Assistant Secretary also has responsibility for administering statutorily mandated assistance programs that provide financial assistance for State energy planning, weatherization of housing owned by the poor and disadvantaged, and the implementation of energy conservation measures by schools and [[Page 263]] hospitals, local units of government, and public care institutions. For further information, contact the Director of Management and Resources. Phone, 202-586-6768. Fossil Energy The Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy is responsible for research and development programs involving fossil fuels--coal, petroleum, and gas. The fossil energy program involves applied research, exploratory development, and limited proof-of-concept testing targeted to high-risk and high-payoff endeavors. The objective of the program is to provide the general technology and knowledge base that the private sector can use to complete development and initiate commercialization of advanced processes and energy systems. The program is principally executed through two Energy Technology Centers located in the field. The Assistant Secretary also manages the Clean Coal Technology Program, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves, and the Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility. For further information, contact the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management. Phone, 301-903-2617. Energy Information Administration The Energy Information Administration is responsible for the timely and accurate collection, processing, and publication of data in the areas of energy resource reserves, energy production, demand, consumption, distribution, and technology. The Administration performs analyses of energy data to assist government and nongovernment users in understanding energy trends. Analyses are prepared on complex, long-term energy trends and the microeconomic and macroeconomic impacts of energy trends on regional and industrial sectors. Special purpose analyses are prepared involving competition within the energy industries, the capital/financial structure of energy companies, and interfuel substitution. Audits are conducted to ensure the validity of regulatory and other energy data. The Administration provides data publication and distribution services within DOE, throughout the Government, and for the public. It is a clearinghouse for general information on energy and coordinates its activities with the Department's Technical Information Center. For further information, contact the Director, National Energy Information Center. Phone, 202-586-1185; (TDD) 202-586-1181. National Security and Environmental Management Programs Civilian Radioactive Waste Management The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management was established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 U.S.C. 10224). The Office has responsibility for the Nuclear Waste Fund and for the management of Federal programs for recommending, constructing, and operating repositories for disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; interim storage of spent nuclear fuel; monitored retrievable storage; and research, development, and demonstration regarding disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. For further information, contact the Associate Director for Program and Resources Management. Phone, 202-586-9116. Defense Programs The Assistant Secretary for Defense Programs directs the Nation's nuclear weapons research, development, testing, production, and surveillance program, as well as the production of the special nuclear materials used by the weapons program within the Department, and management of defense nuclear waste and byproducts. The Office also manages research in inertial confinement fusion. For further information, contact the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resource Management. Phone, 202-586-2295. Environmental Management The Office of Environmental Management provides program policy guidance and manages the assessment and cleanup of inactive waste sites and facilities, continues safe [[Page 264]] and effective waste management operations, and develops and implements an aggressively applied waste research and development program to provide innovative environmental technologies that yield permanent disposal solutions at reduced costs. The Office provides centralized management for the Department for waste management operations, environmental restoration, and applied research and development programs and activities, including environmental restoration and waste management program policy and guidance to DOE field offices in these areas. For further information, contact the Office of Administrative Management. Phone, 202-586-2661. Nonproliferation and National Security The Office of Nonproliferation and National Security ensures that intelligence information requirements of the Secretary and senior departmental policymakers are met and that the Department's technical, analytical, and research expertise is made available to the intelligence community in accordance with Executive Order 12333 of December 4, 1981. The Office directs the development of the Department's policy, plans, and procedures relating to arms control, nonproliferation, export controls and safeguard activities; safeguards and secures classified information and protects departmental and Department of Energy contractor facilities and installations; manages the Department's Emergency Management System, which responds to and mitigates the consequences resulting from operational, energy, and continuity of Government emergencies; manages the Department's research and development program for verifying and monitoring arms implementation and compliance activities; manages the Department's international safeguards research and development program and physical security responsibilities in support of the Federal Government's nonproliferation policies and agreements; manages a personnel security program for sensitive positions within the Department; and provides threat assessments and support to headquarters and field offices. Office of Fissile Materials Disposition The Office reports to the Under Secretary and is responsible for all activities of the Department relating to the management, storage, and disposition of fissile materials from weapons and weapon systems that are excess to national security needs of the United States. Key responsibilities include coordinating the development of Department of Energy policy regarding these fissile materials; overseeing the development of technical and economic analyses and related research and development for this effort; preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on the long-term storage and disposition of surplus fissile materials; carrying out an extensive program of outreach and public communications necessary to develop a sustainable consensus on storage and dispostion efforts; and providing technical support to the President's Interagency Working Group addressing surplus plutonium control and disposition. --The primary functions of the Office include: --managing the development of policy and directs implementation of departmental efforts regarding long-term storage of all weapons usable fissile materials and the disposition of those weapons-usable fissile materials declared excess to the national security needs; --representing the Under Secretary in meetings, discussions, and decision-making forums within the Department, as well as with other agencies, Congress, and the public; --serving as the Department's principal point of contact for matters involving Energy Headquarters and field office management in issues and problems associated with the long-term storage and disposition of surplus weapons-usable fissile materials; --serving as the Program's point of contact for the Offices of Congressional Affairs, Public Affairs, and the Controller on matters relevant to the Program's involvement with Congress, State and [[Page 265]] local government, media communications, and the budget; --assuring consistency, proper coordination within the Programs, reflection of current policy, and timeliness of the Program's responses; --overseeing preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the storage of all weapons-usable fissile materials and the disposition of surplus fissile materials; --serving as the Department's primary communications channel with the public and affected stakeholders on surplus fissile materials matters; --coordinating the Department's participation on the President's Interagency Working Group for the matters involving surplus plutonium control and disposition; and --controlling funds authorized and appropriated for the program. Science and Technology Programs Energy Research The Office of Energy Research advises the Secretary on the physical and energy research and development programs of the Department, and financial assistance and budgetary priorities for these activities. The Office manages the basic energy sciences, high energy physics, and fusion energy research programs; administers DOE programs supporting university researchers; funds research in mathematical and computational sciences critical to the use and development of supercomputers; and administers a financial support program for research and development projects not funded elsewhere in the Department. The Office also manages a research program directed at determining the generic environmental, health, and safety aspects of energy technologies and programs. The Office monitors DOE research and development programs for deficiencies or duplications and, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, monitors the international exchange of scientific and technical personnel. For further information, contact the Director of Management. Phone, 301- 903-4944. Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology The Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology administers the Department's research and development programs associated with fission energy. This includes programs relating to nuclear reactor development, both civilian and naval; nuclear fuel cycle; and space nuclear applications. The Office also manages the Department's Remedial Action Program to treat or stabilize radioactive wastes and perform decontamination and decommissioning at DOE surplus sites. In addition, the Office conducts technical analyses and provides advice concerning nonproliferation; assesses alternative nuclear systems and new reactor and fuel cycle concepts; and evaluates proposed advanced nuclear fission energy concepts and technical improvements for possible application to nuclear powerplant systems. For further information, contact the Director of Policy and Management. Phone, 202-586-6630. Science Education and Technical Information The Office of Science Education and Technical Information provides centralized responsibility for developing and implementing departmental policy for university and science education programs, and manages coordination and oversight of the collection and dissemination of information resulting from the Department's research and development activities. The Office coordinates the establishment, communication, and implementation of policy, procedures, and standards for the handling of scientific and technical information; advises the Secretary of Energy with respect to science, math, and engineering precollege and university education programs; represents the United States in multilateral information exchange activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency, International Energy Agency, and international exchange agreements; disseminates [[Page 266]] scientific and technical information received from international agreements; and manages and executes agreements for the dissemination of Department of Energy scientific and technical information products. Independent Commission Federal Energy Regulatory Commission An independent, five-member commission within the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has retained many of the functions of the Federal Power Commission, such as setting rates and charges for the transportation and sale of natural gas and for the transmission and sale of electricity and the licensing of hydroelectric power projects. In addition, the Commission establishes rates or charges for the transportation of oil by pipeline, as well as the valuation of such pipelines. For further information, contact the Executive Director. Phone, 202-208- 0300. Field Structure DOE Operations Offices and Contractor-Operated Field Installations The vast majority of the Department's energy research and development, nuclear weapons research and development, and testing and production activities are carried out by contractors who operate Government-owned facilities. Management and administration of Government-owned, contractor-operated facility contracts are the major responsibility of the Department's eight operations offices. DOE operations offices provide a formal link between Department headquarters and the field laboratories and other operating facilities. They also manage programs and projects as assigned from headquarters. Routine management guidance, coordination, and oversight of the operations offices is provided by the Office of the Associate Deputy Secretary for Field Management. Daily specific program direction for the operations offices is provided by the cognizant Assistant Secretaries and the Director or program officer. Operations Offices--Department of Energy ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Office/Address Telephone ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Albuquerque, NM (P.O. Box 5400, 87185) 505-845-6049 Chicago, IL (9800 S. Cass Ave., Argonne, IL 60439) 708-252-2110 Idaho Falls, ID (785 Doe Pl., 83401) 208-526-1322 Las Vegas, NV (P.O. Box 98518, 89193-8518) 702-295-3211 Oak Ridge, TN (P.O. Box 2001, 37831) 615-576-4444 Oakland, CA (1301 Clay St., 94612) 510-637-1800 Richland, WA (P.O. Box 550, 825 Jadwin Ave., 99352) 509-376-7395 Savannah River, SC (P.O. Box A, Aiken, SC 29802) 803-725-2277 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other Field Offices The Department also has several field offices concerned primarily with specific programs, such as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project Office, two offices involved with the development of nuclear reactors for the Navy, and several offices devoted to the management of the Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves. Power Administrations The marketing and transmission of electric power produced at Federal hydroelectric projects and reservoirs is carried out by the Department's five Power Administrations. Management oversight of the Power Administrations is the responsibility of the Deputy Secretary. Bonneville Power Administration The Administration was created pursuant to the Bonneville Project Act of August 20, 1937, as amended (16 U.S.C. 832 et seq.). Through a regionwide, interconnecting transmission system it markets electric power and energy from Federal hydroelectric projects in the Pacific Northwest constructed and [[Page 267]] operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation. Through interregional connections, it sells surplus power to areas outside the Pacific Northwest region and participates in exchanges of power. The Administration markets power produced by the Federal Columbia River Power System at the lowest rates, consistent with sound business practices. Preference is given to public entities. Power is sold at wholesale to utilities and directly to electroprocess industries and other Federal agencies. The Administration also exchanges electric power; prepares wholesale rates and repayment schedules; and constructs, operates, and maintains a transmission system that integrates Federal power projects and interconnects with non- Federal utility systems. In addition, the Administration is responsible for energy conservation, renewable resource development, and fish and wildlife enhancement under the provisions of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 839 note). The Administration, in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers, represents the United States in implementing the provisions of the Columbia River Treaty with Canada. By act of October 18, 1974 (16 U.S.C. 838), the Bonneville Power Administration has the authority, in lieu of appropriations, to use its revenues and to sell revenue bonds to the U.S. Treasury to finance its programs. For further information, contact the Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621, 1002 NE. Holladay Street, Portland, OR 97208. Phone, 503- 230-5101. Southeastern Power Administration The Administration was created by the Secretary of the Interior in 1950 to carry out functions assigned to the Secretary by the Flood Control Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 890), which pertain to the transmission and disposition of surplus electric power and energy generated at reservoir projects that are or may be under the control of the Department of the Army in the States of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The Southeastern Power Administration was transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Energy by the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7152), effective October 1, 1977. The Administration transmits and disposes of the surplus electric power and energy generated at the Federal reservoir projects in such manner as to encourage the most widespread use. The Administration sets the lowest possible rates to consumers, consistent with sound business principles, and gives preference in the sale of such power and energy to public bodies and cooperatives. The program of the Administration includes the negotiation, preparation, execution, and administration of contracts for the disposition of electric power; the preparation of wholesale rates and repayment schedules; the provision by construction, contract, or otherwise, of transmission and related facilities to interconnect reservoir projects and to serve contractual loads; and activities pertaining to the planning and operation of power facilities. For further information, contact the Southeastern Power Administration, Elberton, GA 30635. Phone, 706-283-9911. Alaska Power Administration The Administration is responsible for operating and marketing power for two Federal hydroelectric projects in Alaska. Legislative authorities for this work include the Eklutna Project Act (64 Stat. 382); the Snettisham Project authorization in the Flood Control Act of 1962 (76 Stat. 1193); the power-marketing provision of the Flood Control Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 890); the act of August 9, 1955, Investigation of Water Resources, Alaska; and section 201 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 (90 Stat. 2944). Power operations and marketing functions involving the Eklutna and Snettisham Hydroelectric Projects include the projects' transmission [[Page 268]] systems serving the Anchorage and Juneau areas. For further information, contact the Alaska Power Administration, Suite 2B, 2770 Sherwood Lane, Juneau, AK 99801. Phone, 907-586-7405. Southwestern Power Administration The Administration was created by the Secretary of the Interior in 1943 to carry out the Secretary's responsibility for the sale and disposition of electric power and energy generated at certain projects constructed and operated by the Department of the Army. For these projects, the Administration carries out the functions assigned to the Secretary by the Flood Control Act of 1944 (16 U.S.C. 825s) in the States of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Since October 1, 1977, the Southwestern Power Administration has been functioning under the direction of the Secretary of Energy, pursuant to section 302(a)(1) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7152). The headquarters office is located at Tulsa, OK, and there are three area offices--Springfield, MO; Muskogee, OK; and Jonesboro, AR--four maintenance units, and two dispatching offices. The Southwestern Power Administration transmits and disposes of the electric power and energy generated at Federal reservoir projects, supplemented by power purchased from public and private utilities, in such a manner as to encourage the most widespread and economical use. The Administration sets the lowest possible rates to consumers, consistent with sound business principles, and gives preference in the sale of power and energy to public bodies and cooperatives. The Administration: --develops, negotiates, and administers contracts for the sale and interchange of electric power and energy on a wholesale basis; --prepares rate and repayment studies; --designs and constructs transmission lines and related facilities to interconnect hydroelectric projects of the Administration's system and other systems, both public and private; --operates and maintains the high-voltage transmission system to serve contractual loads, maintain reliable interconnections, and utilize excess capacity to provide transmission service to others; --develops long-range marketing programs for maximum utilization of power from existing and proposed hydroelectric projects; and --conducts and participates in the comprehensive planning of water resource development in the Southwest. For further information, contact the Southwestern Power Administration, P.O. Box 1619, Tulsa, OK 74101. Phone, 918-581-7474. Western Area Power Administration The Administration was established on December 21, 1977, pursuant to section 302 of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7152). The Administration is responsible for the Federal electric power-marketing and transmission functions in 15 central and western States, encompassing a geographic area of 1.3 million square miles. The Administration sells power to 532 customers, consisting of cooperatives, municipalities, public utility districts, private utilities, Federal and State agencies, and irrigation districts. The wholesale power customers, in turn, provide service to millions of retail consumers in the States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The Administration is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 16,178 miles of transmission lines, 228 substations, and various auxiliary power facilities in the aforementioned geographic areas and also for planning, construction, and operation and maintenance of additional Federal transmission facilities that may be authorized in the future. Electric power marketed by the Administration is generated by the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the International Boundary and Water [[Page 269]] Commission, which operates 47 hydropower generating plants in its service area. In addition, it markets the United States entitlement from the Navajo coal-fired plant near Page, AZ. The Administration's current installed generating capacity is 8,321 megawatts. In carrying out the Federal power-marketing program, the Administration's organization consists of the Headquarters Office located in Golden, CO; five area offices--Billings, MT; Boulder City, NV; Loveland, CO; Sacramento, CA; and Salt Lake City, UT--five district offices, and one power systems operations office. For further information, contact the Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 3402, Golden, CO 80401. Phone, 303-231-1513. For further information concerning the Department of Energy, contact the Office of Public and Consumer Affairs, Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. Phone, 202-586-4940.