We have reached a crossroads in the restructuring of electricity markets in the West. Within the next year or so we are almost certain to see changes in key policymaking positions in the Federal government, including at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Chairman Wood's term expires in June, 2005), and also possibly in Administration and in Congress.
Further, significant aspects of FERC's agenda - most importantly RTOs and Standard Market Design - have reached a political dead end, at least as far as most of the West is concerned.
Finally, competitive electricity markets are shrinking rather than expanding.
Thus the question is posed: where do we go from here with electric restructuring?
This is a critical question for those who live and work in the West. There can be no argument that the western economy cannot reach its potential without an adequate, affordable and reliable supply of electric power.
Accordingly, the Center for the New West is undertaking an initiative that will bring together federal and state policy leaders and stakeholders to develop a restructuring policy that will revitalize competitive markets for power in the West. What the Center aims to produce from this initiative is a western competitive power market model - one that reflects and accommodates the unique needs and features of the western economy and its electric power system.
The conference in Salt Lake City will be the first step in this initiative and will conclude with the initial roundtable discussion on establishing a western power market model. Later this fall, another roundtable discussion is being planned, comprised of participants and sponsors of the Salt Lake City conference. This roundtable will take place in conjunction with the Congressional Western Caucus retreat near Washington, D. C. Subsequent roundtables will be held, as needed.
United States Senator, Idaho
Lieutenant Governor of Utah
Mike Naeve
Chairman of the Energy Practice, Skadden, Arps, Meagher
& Flom (former FERC Commissioner)
Charles Trabandt
Vice President, Charles River Associates (former
Chief Counsel to the U. S. Senate Energy Committee and former FERC
Commissioner)
Curt Hebert
Executive Vice-President, Entergy (former FERC Commissioner and Chairman)
Professor Frank Wolak(Stanford University)
Chair of the California Independent System
Operator Market Surveillance Committee
James Lucier
Senior Analyst, Prudential Equity Group LLC
Jack Davis
President and CEO, Arizona Public Service Company and President
and COO for Pinnacle West Capital Corporation
Deputy Secretary of Energy
State of California Resources Agency
The Honorable Joseph T. Kelliher
Commissioner
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Please Return to the Grand Salon
Afternoon Panel Moderator - Jim Sims
Executive Director
The Western Business Roundtable and the
Western Partnership
The Grand
Industry - How can industry work with rather than against federal and state regulators as they formulate restructuring policy? Do regulators need to be more prescriptive, or less, in regard to the details of structuring power markets? Do regulators, and legislators, adequately account for the engineering and other technical realities of providing reliable electric service to consumers? If not, how can they be better educated? Is there a need for more communication between the industry and the government?
Judi Johansen
President and CEO, PacifiCorp
Louise McCarren
CEO, Western Electric Coordinating Council
States - How does the Federal policy favoring competitive wholesale power markets impact state regulation of retail markets, and protection of consumers? Does wholesale competition necessitate competition at the retail level? Does the current diminished state of wholesale power markets negatively impact retail service?
The Honorable Marsha Smith,Commissioner, Idaho Pubic Utilities Commission
The Honorable Suedeen Kelly, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
10 Minute Break
The Honorable Larry E. Craig, United States Senator from Idaho and senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
The Honorable Chris Cannon, Member of Congress from the 3rd Congressional District of Utah and Chairman of the Western Caucus
Bud Albright, Staff Director, House Energy and Commerce Committee
Public Power- Does public power provide a different kind of service to consumers than do investor-owned companies? Does public power face different requirements than investor-owned companies? If so, are these differences relevant to restructuring policy? Can competitive markets work effectively if the public and private sectors of the industry are not integrated, from a regulatory standpoint?
Steve Wright, Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration
10 Minute Break
First Western Electricity Restructuring Policy Roundtable- Toward Revitalizing Competitive Wholesale Power Markets in the West: Defining the Unique Characteristics of the West That Must Be Considered in Restructuring the Electric Industry. This discussion will be the beginning of a series of roundtables featuring key policy makers that aim to craft a western competitive power markets model. During this roundtable we will look at key characteristics of the West and the core elements of a restructuring policy that will make sense for the West's economy.
The Grand Salon
The Roundtable will include previous panelists
Chris Cannon
Larry Craig
Jack Davis
Joseph Desmond
Curt L. Hebert, Jr
Judi Johansen
Joseph T. Kelliher
Suedeen G. Kelly
Louise McCarren
James Lucier
Gayle F. McKeachnie
Mike Naeve
Marsha H. Smith
Charles A. Trabandt
Frank Wolak
Steve Wright
