6 March 2001 The Honorable Frank Murkowski Dear Senator Murkowski: The IEEE-USA wishes to support prompt passage of legislation to promote and ensure the continued reliability of the electric grid in the United States and throughout North America. IEEE-USA represents approximately 240,000 electrical, electronic and computer engineers in the USA. Its Energy Policy Committee, consisting of members with expertise in all aspects of electrical power, generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization, agree that there are at least three major areas of concern with the present state of the country's electrical grid:
Federal legislation is essential and urgently needed soon to provide a legislative foundation for the reliability of electric power through a self-managing industry reliability organization with the power to set standards for quality and reliability. Enforcement of these standards must be buttressed by federal legislation. Specifically, enactment of language included in H.R.312, introduced by Representative Albert Wynn (D-MD), or S.172, introduced by Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), is a must to protect the reliability of the North American transmission grid. Reliable electric power is critical to the economy, the environment, and national security. Without this legislation, consumers are exposed to increased risk of power outages and blackouts and widespread failure of the transmission grid as more and more demands are placed upon it by restructuring.Congressional enactment of this legislation now is an essential step to ensuring the continued reliability of the nation's high-voltage electricity system. This action cannot wait for the next Congress. Please act now. Thank you for your support and action. Sincerely, Ned R. Sauthoff, Ph.D. (Sample of Letter to Members of the
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