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Enron Mail |
This is an update of the Email below. With respect to DOE efforts to draft
electricity legislation, a list of potential items for the bill are being discussed this afternoon with Secretary Abraham. DOE hopes to have a draft bill submitted to the White House by Friday, June 15, for consideration by the VP Task Force. Similar to efforts other private sector parties are undoubtedly taking, I would like to submit to DOE our suggestions for the legislation. As mentioned below, this bill will not include open access, but there are issues related to access which we may want to submit to DOE such as how to deal with non-jurisdictional entities. Other topics on which we may want to submit legislative language are PUHCA (the reporting requirements), interconnection, reliability, negawatts, RTO ownership issues, and eminent domain. DOE seem very willing to deal with the non-jurisdictional entities, either in the rulemaking context or by legislation. Tom Briggs will be following up with appropriate folks on this project. If you have any other ideas for this effort, please let us know ASAP. Linda Robertson 06/07/2001 12:03 PM To: Steven J Kean/NA/Enron@Enron, Richard Shapiro/NA/Enron@Enron, James D Steffes/NA/Enron@Enron, Mark Palmer/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Sarah Novosel/Corp/Enron@ENRON, John Shelk/NA/Enron@Enron, Pat Shortridge/Corp/Enron@Enron cc: (bcc: Linda Robertson/NA/Enron) Subject: Administration Energy Plan: Next Steps (Please do not circulate or discuss the information on this Email outside the parties listed here.) Debate within the Administration on implementation of its energy plan appears to be settled. This debate was prolonged because of change in control of the Senate. The Administration has decided to transmit to Congress by mid-June a comprehensive letter containing an inventory of energy plan recommendations requiring legislative action. I understand that legislative language will not be transmitted in connection with this letter. Soon after receipt of the letter, the President will host a meeting at the White House of bipartisan congressional leaders and some key committee chairs and ranking Members. The purpose of the meeting will be to convey to Congress the imperative of acting quickly on the President's plan and it will serve as an official launch of the legislative effort and the Administration's efforts to work with Congress on the plan. In the meantime, the Departments and Agencies are already drafting parts of the energy plan. For example, we have been told by DOE that they are presently drafting an electric restructuring bill. I have calls into DOE to find out more about their efforts and the specific provisions to be included in such legislation. We have learned that "open access" will not be in this legislation, as the President's report instructs FERC to undertake the project. Thus, the Administration continues to believe that legislation is not needed for the core open access provisions and that this is a matter they understand will be at the top of Pat Wood's agenda. Among other items, one question we will probe with DOE is whether the electricity legislation will contain access provisions pertaining to entities presently outside FERC's jurisdiction. At present, it does not appear that the various provisions being drafted by the agencies will be bundled into single transmission from the Administration to the Hill. Instead, the VP's task force intends to have these legislative drafts ready to provide relevant committees at the appropriate time. This part of the implementation plan, of course, could change. As for Pat Wood, we continue to receive confirmation from Hill and Executive Branch sources that the White House intends to designate Mr. Wood as FERC Chair. Timing of the switch remains unclear. Our latest information suggests it could be September 1. Many parties are suggesting to the White House that the change should take place earlier than that date. We have efforts underway to structure our position on a possible open access rulemaking. A few folks on this email will be talking with Dan Watkiss today about such a proposal.
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