National Grid as Managing member of ARTO

On May 15, 2001, National Grid filed a petition for declatory order in Docket
No. EL01-80 asking the FERC to find that it is not a "market participant"
with respect to the ARTO region in order that it can seek to become the
Managing Member of the Alliance RTO. The filing was noticed and
comments/protests are due June 14, 2001.

National Grid, a company that operates in New England, claims that it retains
only insignificant generation assets and wholesale marketing operations in
regions remote from the Alliance region (i.e. New England and New York after
the NIMO merger is completed). It has minor "last resort" sales obligations
which they expect to terminate by 2005. National Grid will not be providing
ancillary services to the ARTO region.

Let me know if there are any concerns with this filing that EPMI should raise
to the FERC.