Canada-U.S. Power System Outage Task Force Appointed

U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Herb Dhaliwal met in Detroit, Michigan, on August 20, 2003, and agreed on an Outline to be followed by the Task Force in its investigation of the recent power outage that affected Canada and the United States. Under the Task Force Outline, the Joint Task Force will determine what happened, and why it was not contained. The Task Force will be supported by three Working Groups that will address electric system, security, and nuclear issues. The Task Force Outline also calls for the development of recommendations on how to prevent future power outages.

The Task Force will be jointly chaired by Secretary Abraham and Minister Dhaliwal, and will include as U.S. members Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security, Pat Wood, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Nils J. Diaz, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Canadian members will be John Manley, Deputy Prime Minister, in his capacity as Minister responsible for Border and Security Issues; Kenneth Vollman, Chairman of the National Energy Board; and Linda J. Keen, President and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

The Working Groups will include all relevant federal departments and agencies and will include representatives from the affected states and provinces. In addition, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and the affected Independent System Operators and utilities have agreed that their investigations will supplement and contribute to the work of the Task Force. Local authorities, private sector electricity providers, and other experts will be invited to contribute to the work of the Task Force.

The principals also announced that the work of the Task Force will be managed by Jimmy Glotfelty on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Dr. Nawal Kamel on behalf of Natural Resources Canada.

The parties expressed a firm commitment to a renewed and strengthened effort to address the security and efficiency of the North American electric power system. This signals their determination to enhance the reliability of our power supply for the future.