After months of effort, we have succeeded in putting together a Blackout
Notification System that will provide California employers, residents, and
public safety officers with adequate time to respond to an impending rolling
blackout.

As you know, Governor Davis appointed me to the California ISO last
February. Through the leadership of our Energy Committee at the
Manufacturing Group, I introduced a motion at CAISO on March 30. The motion
stated that California needed a better Blackout Notification System than the
passive system previously in place.  After the motion passed 5-0, the ISO
and PG&E held focus groups with employers and residents throughout the state
to ask customers what they need to more adequately prepare for planned
rolling blackouts, and if possible to help prevent them from occurring.

Then, Governor Davis stepped in and directed ISO, the Office of Emergency
Services, and the Energy Oversight Board to work with the utilities to build
a proactive notification system.  This system provides not only a 1-hour
advanced warning before a blackout could occur, but to also includes 48 and
24-hour notices that blackouts might happen due to predicted hot weather
conditions, and/or a lack of energy supply, or planned and unplanned
maintenance at generation facilities.  The proactive approach sought by
Governor Davis and by my motion at CAISO will include a system by which
residents and employers can have their extensive contact information such
e-mails, pagers, and cell phones listed in a database.  All contacts can
receive a 48, 24 and 1-hour automatic notification in advance.

What is particularly exciting about this proactive approach is that we can
better prepare for a blackout with adequate time to power down assembly
lines and computers, and power up emergency generators. We can also prevent
a blackout by taking action within that hour which reduces load and can even
help avoid blackouts.

Again, kudos go to the Manufacturing Group's Energy Committee for pushing
this plan last February to take to the CAISO Board and to Governor Davis. By
expanding this plan, we can make sure an even larger window of notice is
proactively provided to Californians.  The plan will be rolled out publicly
tomorrow (Friday, June 15, 2001) and incrementally implemented as soon as
possible. We will soon provide further updates on how employers throughout
the Valley and state on how they can register in the new database for this
proactive notification system.

Sincerely,

Carl Guardino


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