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C       P    P  U    U  C           N N  N  E      W  W  W  S
C       PPPPP   U    U  C           N N  N  EEE    W W W W   SSS
C       P       U    U  C           N  N N  E      WW   WW      S
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             California Public Utilities Commission
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 5301            San Francisco, CA 94102

CONTACT: Armando Rendon           August 16, 1996        CPUC-071
         415-703-1366


               CPUC OPENS INQUIRY INTO RELIABILITY
                OF ELECTRICITY GRID IN CALIFORNIA

     The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today
called for an emergency informal inquiry into the reliability of
the electric transmission system in California.
     President P. Gregory Conlon has invited industry,
regulatory, and advocacy group executives from within and outside
the state, including the U.S. Department of Energy and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, to a meeting on Wednesday,
August 21, in San Francisco.
     The meeting will seek to determine if there is a serious
weakness in the operation and maintenance of the electric
transmission grid connecting the Western states and to explore
potential remedies.  A power outage August 10 knocked out
electricity to more than 4 million Californians; a similar outage
occurred in July.
     In issuing the invitation, Conlon noted that such outages
cause enormous economic harm to the residents of California, as
well as the other members of the Western States Coordinating
Council: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah,
Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Canada and Mexico.
     The tentative agenda for the meeting is attached:







                             -more-
             CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

                   Emergency Informal Inquiry

              RELIABILITY OF ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION
                      IN THE WESTERN STATES

                   Wednesday, August 21, 1996
                     8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

 8:30 a.m.    Welcome by CPUC Commissioners

 8:40 a.m.    Introduction of Invitees

                    Department of Energy
                    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
                    Bonneville Power Administration
                    Nevada Public Service Commission
                    Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
                    Sacramento Municipal Utility District
                    Pacific Gas and Electric Company
                    Southern California Edison Company
                    San Diego Gas & Electric Company
                    Western States Coordinating Council
                     Utility Consumer Action Network
                    Toward Utility Rate Normalization
                    CPUC Division of Ratepayer Advocates

 8:50 a.m.    Organization and Responsibility of
              Regional Organizations

                    Western States Coordinating Council
                    Others

 9:30 a.m.    Review of August 10 Event

                    Bonneville Power Administration
                    Pacific Gas and Electric Company
                    Southern California Edison Company
                    San Diego Gas & Electric Company
                    Other Utilities

11:00 a.m.    Coordination and Responsibilities of
              Regulatory Agencies

                    Department of Energy
                    Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
                    Bonneville Power Administration
                    State Commissions

11:45 a.m.    Consumers

                    Utility Consumer Action Network
                    Toward Utility Rate Normalization
                    CPUC Division of Ratepayer Advocates

12:30 p.m.    Discussion of Action Items and Next Steps

                    All

 1:00 p.m.  Close