The reliability organization struggles with reforms, as FERC hovers.
Partner, Stinson Morrison Hecker, LLP., Washington, D.C.
Under steady fire since its inception, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) continues to find itself beset by criticism from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and in an extended and not always comfortable dialogue with the electric industry and the regional enforcement entities over which it has authority. The organization is now in the thick of an effort to reform its core processes—the way in which it develops standards, monitors compliance and sanctions violations. The success of this effort is critical for NERC and stakeholders in the electric industry, particularly for those who support the governance model under which NERC now operates.