§838b Operation and Maintenance of Federal Transmission System; Construction of Improvements, Betterments, Additions and Replacements; Criteria

Summary

The Secretary of Energy, through the Administrator, must run and maintain the Federal transmission system in the Pacific Northwest. They must build upgrades, additions, and replacements when needed to connect and carry power from federal or non-federal plants, serve the Administrator’s customers, provide interregional links, and keep the system stable and reliable. They may not build transmission outside the Pacific Northwest except for customer service facilities in nearby areas within 75 airline miles that are part of a distribution cooperative that has no generating facilities and serves both inside and outside the region. They also may not start any major transmission project in the Pacific Northwest unless the start-up funds are specifically approved by an Act of Congress.