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Andre Gallo Joins Seattle City Light As Regulatory Compliance Officer Seattle City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco has named Andrew Gallo to the newly created position of Regulatory Compliance Officer for the publicly owned utility."The Compliance Officer is absolutely critical to our operations," Carrasco said. "In 2007 when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorized the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop rules to ensure the reliability of the bulk power system, it created new mandatory compliance standards for City Light" he said. "We must meet the requirements applicable to our operations. I am pleased to announce that we have been successful in finding an outstanding candidate for this essential position. Andrew Gallo joins City Light August 11 from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). His background, experience and training are an excellent match for the requirements of this new executive level position." Seattle City Light must comply with more than 100 new standards, representing 900 separate requirements to ensure energy delivery reliability. These new standards were adopted in 2007 and City Light must meet a series of compliance reviews during the next two years. The Seattle City Council authorized addition of a Compliance Officer in the 2008 Supplemental Budget. The position is a member of Seattle City Light's Executive Team and reports directly to the superintendent. Gallo comes to City Light from Austin, Texas, where he was Assistant General Counsel to the ERCOT. He has extensive experience in public utility regulatory matters and compliance standards at the state and federal level. He is a licensed attorney in the state of Texas and received his law degree from the College of William & Mary. City Light recently had a readiness review visit by a panel from NERC and from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) to assess specific performance measures. In mid-September there will be a NERC compliance audit conducted. Not meeting compliance requirements can mean millions of dollars in fines and penalties. Gallo will have responsibility for ongoing compliance efforts at City Light. Reliability issues have been increasingly important throughout the United States. Several major black-outs in the Midwest and on the East Coast prompted FERC to act. "The transmission grid interconnections mean that a loss of a line in Canada can have major impacts to our system here in Seattle," said Carrasco. "We are all part of one large interconnected electric system and we all have a huge stake in the reliability and integrity of that system. City Light must be prepared." Return to September 2008 Western Energy News To sponsor Western Energy News , please contact WEI at 503 231-1994.
Copyright © 2008. Reuse of this publication or its contents is allowed with credit to Western Energy Institute. WEI - 827 NE Oregon Street, Portland, Oregon 97232-2172
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