Although careful to state that it has no interest in infringing on the domain of local and state authorities, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) recently voiced its support for the revisions that have been made to Section 206 of the Securing America’s Future Energy Act of 2001 (the SAFE Act of 2001), which call for Congress to authorize the creation of an industry-led organization subject to oversight in the United States by NERC that would set and enforce compliance with reliability standards.
In a May 23rd letter to W.J. Tauzin, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and original sponsor of the bill in the House, and Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, NERC President and CEO Michehl R. Gent, with the backing of the American Public Power Association and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, urged the House and Senate to come together on the proposal.
The Safe Act was presented “to enhance energy conservation, research and development and to provide for security and diversity in the energy supply for the American people, and for other purposes.” It was originally approved by the House, with voting split along partisan lines.