EnergyBiz - September/October 2007 - (Page 100) The Midwest ISO’s control room in Carmel, Ind. Photo courtESy of MidwESt iSo. these mechanisms and the diligent work of RTO operators were credited with preserving reliability and avoiding significant curtailments. On a more local level, the need for transmission infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve local reliability has often resulted in disputes among local interests. With their sophisticated transmission planning capabilities, RTOs analyze proposed projects as honest brokers and work to solve local problems with regional and national goals in mind. As the states grapple with issues of resource adequacy and demand response, RTOs offer the best platform to devise solutions. With the backdrop of their transparent energy markets, RTOs can provide data to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions that can be endorsed by states, either individually as they review company-specific programs, or through a regional tariff approved by FERC. None of this will be easy. However, RTOs doing business in places like Indiana, Arkansas, and Massachusetts — not Washington, D.C. — will provide a better forum for arriving at answers to reliability and resource questions that span the gray areas between federal and state jurisdiction. Karl Zobrist, a partner in the Kansas City office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, is a former chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission and counsel to the Midwest ISO board of directors. Photo courtESy of MidwESt iSo. www.energycentral.com E n E rgyB i z 101 http://www.energycentral.com
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