Proposed AGENDA

**Monthly Planning Group Coordination Call**

Tuesday, August 2, 2005 8:00 am PDT and AZ, 9:00 am MDT

Call in number -- 1-800-503-3360 or 503-813-5600 Passcode 699292

1\. Energy Bill Update -- Provisions on Planning, Siting Larry Mansueti,
DOE

> and Permitting
>
> The Bill has passed the House and Senate and is expected to be signed
> by the President this week. Larry will give us an update on the key
> transmission provisions in the Bill. Lets discuss how we can work with
> DOE to provide DOE with the transmission information they need from
> the West related to the Bill. The bill in 1724 pages long -- contains
> lotsa deadlines. It contains mandatory reliability language. FERC will
> put a rule-making out in August (ERO). Four areas that DOE is involved
> -- determination of national interest electricity corridors
> (bottlenecks) -- FERC backstop authority. DOE will do a constraint
> study within one year. DOE will defer as much as they can to the
> regions to do the work. Then two years to do an EIS on the corridors
> identified. Dean -- need to work together so the work products SSG-WI
> pens fits this need. Doug -- incumbent on WECC now to take advantage
> of the good climate at DOE now to use analysis done by the regions --
> like RMATS, STEP, etc. -- energy bill tries to centralize stuff at
> FERC (Doug's perspective).

2\. WECC Board Meeting -- WECC future role in expansion planning Steve
Rueckert

> Overview of the WECC Board discussions at the July 28 WECC Board
> Meeting. PCC looked at WAG paper and out together a list of what they
> think WECC should and shouldn't be doing. The Board agreed pretty much
> with PCC's list. WECC would take over the production cost database
> maintenance. WECC doesn't have means to assign costs/benefits. No
> consensus on who will actually be doing this work. The sub-regional
> efforts will continue. WECC needs to write down a work scope of what
> they see themselves doing here -- document soon and keep in mind DOE's
> needs outlined in their efforts under the Energy Bill. Doug is pushing
> "identifying the beneficiaries". The SSG-WI level data doesn't have
> contractual data, who owns plants, etc that is needed to identify
> individual companies. The idea is that the output will be like RMATS
> -- identify generally regional costs/benefits. WECC will re-engage
> with PAC to work out the transfer of the database effort.

3\. Update on WGA "Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative" activities
Doug Larson

-   **CDEAC Transmission Task Force meeting in Portland on 8/10-11**

    -   **Identify policies to overcome barriers to more efficient use
        of existing wires and expansion of the grid**

    -   **Agree on process to estimate wires needed to support
        generation resulting from CDEAC policy recommendations**

        -   **Piggy-back on SSG-WI effort in Western Interconnection**

        -   **Use existing MISO and SPP studies in ND, SD, NE, KN**

        -   **Use ERCOT studies in TX**

-   **REQUEST**

    -   **Rob, Chris, ISO, Ray, Bob help locate buses to connect
        postulated CDEAC generation in the SWAT, NTAC, CA ISO, RMATS,
        CCPG regions, respectively -- Mike Milligan is doing for NREL
        (wind). The coal guys are looking to RMATS, etc siting to use
        initially.**

    -   I a**ssume that the SSG-WI transmission work group will identify
        needed wires in the Western Interconnection after modeling run
        using CDEAC resources**

> Adjusted their schedule to September 1, 2005 to have an initial list
> of proposed locations for wind and coal siting. Doug asked two
> requests above. Need the transmission gurus to take a look at reality
> of siting locations. Continue with the iterative process that Mike
> DeWolf has pointed out in the RMATS process.

4\. Subregional Planning Group updates (brief status reports)

SWAT -- Rob Kondziolka

As a result of CDEAC and SSG-WI -- SWAT is focusing on getting the
resource locations coordinated. Working with WestConnect to try and
merge SWAT into WestConnect as the subregional planning entity. Will
present at WestConnect August 17^th^ Steering Committee in Denver. Idea
is to have an organizational structure in place for CY 2006. Have he
attention of many political types in Arizona through their joint effort
so far. Mayors, local utility folks showed up at last meeting. Their
hope is to begin developing coordinated corridor list. Doug will send
their efforts to-date to Rob.

NTAC -- Chris Reese/Marv Landauer

RMATS/Frontier Project -- Mike DeWolf

Not much to report. WIA has formed with CA, WY, UT and NV, an MOU to
develop the Frontier line effort.

CCPG -- Bob Easton

Next meeting on August 25^th^ at Tri-State's offices. Discussed letter
from WGA to control area CEOs stating their support of a funding
mechanism similar to the WECC dues structure to fund State and
Provincial participation in these sub-regional study efforts. The next
step is that CREPC will meet in September and develop what they will do
if these \$\$ do or don't come in.

STEP representative

5\. NEXT CALL -- Tuesday, September 6, 2005

#