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WORKING FOR ELECTRIC RELIABILITY

Last August, our country experienced the most widespread power blackout in U.S. history and we are as much at risk for a power failure now as we were then. Since the blackout eleven months ago, Democrats have been urging the Republican leadership to bring separate electricity reliability legislation to the Floor to prevent another blackout. The legislation, H.R. 3004, introduced on September 4, 2003, titled the "Electric Reliability Improvement Act of 2003," would make transmission grid rules mandatory and enforceable. The Republican leadership in the House has ignored our requests and the Administration has failed to act. In response, the Democrats have filed a discharge petition to require House Floor action on the bill.

This web page provides you with a chronology of events leading to this discharge petition, including information on H.R. 3004, the "Electric Reliability Improvement Act of 2003."

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

August 12, 2004 -- Michigan Democrats write to President Bush urging enactment of stand-alone electric reliability legislation.

>>Read Letter to President Bush

July 20, 2004 -- Reps. Dingell and Hoyer release a statement on the need for electricity reliability legislation: "Democrats Push For Electricity Reliability Legislation To Prevent Future Blackouts."

>>Read News Release
>>Read Fact Sheet

July 19, 2004 -- Rep. Timothy H. Bishop files motion to discharge H.Res. 708, providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 3004) to improve the reliability of the Nation's electric transmission system, from the Committee on Rules.

>> Discharge Petition No. 10 and explanation
>>See July 22, 2004, letter of support from
several groups including the AFL-CIO

July 7, 2004 -- Rep. John D. Dingell introduces H.Res. 708, providing for the consideration of the bill (H.R. 3004) to improve the reliability of the Nation's electric transmission system.

May 13, 2004 -- Rep. John D. Dingell sends a letter to Mr. Michehl Gent, President and CEO, North American Electric Reliability Council, regarding the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force's final report.

>>Read Letter to NERC
>>Read NERC's May 27, 2004, response

April 5, 2004 -- The U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force presents its final report entitled "Final Report on the August 14, 2003 Blackout in the United States and Canada: Causes and Recommendations." The Task Force called for Congress to pass electricity reliability legislation, terming it the "single most important step" toward preventing another blackout. The report is available at http://www.ferc.gov/cust-protect/moi/blackout.asp, https://reports.energy.gov and http://www.NRCan.gc.ca

December 23, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell sends a letter to Speaker Hastert encouraging the Speaker to bring H.R. 3004 up on the House floor at the earliest possible opportunity.

>>Read Letter to Speaker Hastert

October 2, 2003 -- Michehl R. Gent, President and CEO, North American Electric Reliability Council sends a letter to Rep. John D. Dingell providing additional information regarding the nature of the violations that NERC had found through its compliance enforcement program.

>>Read Letter from NERC

September 9, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell sends a dear colleague letter summarizing the need for electric reliability legislation and seeking cosponsors on H.R. 3004.

>>Read Dear Colleague Letter

September 6, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell introduces a motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 6, the "Energy Policy Act of 2003." The motion would have allowed electricity reliability provisions included in the energy conference report to come to the House floor quickly under separate legislation. The motion failed on a party-line vote of 211-176.

>>See Motion to instruct conference on H.R. 6
and explanation

September 4, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell introduces H.R. 3004, the "Electric Reliability Improvement Act of 2003." Legislation that would make transmission grid rules mandatory and enforceable.

>>Text & Status of the Legislation (Thomas, Legislative Information on the Internet)
>>Summary of the Legislation

September 3, 2003 -- The Committee on Energy and Commerce holds a hearing entitled "Blackout 2003: How Did It Happen and Why?"

>>Read Statement of Congressman John D. Dingell
>>Hearing Information (links to the Committee Majority's website)

August 22, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell sends letters to the Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the North American Reliability Electric Coalition (NERC) regarding actions to be taken in response to the recent electricity blackout.

>>Read Letter to DOE
>>Read Letter to FERC and FERC's Sept. 2, 2003 response
>>Read Letter to NERC and NERC's Sept. 2, 2003 response

August 20, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell sends a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE) regarding announcement of investigation of the recent electricity blackout.

>>Read Letter to Department of Energy and
DOE's Aug. 26, 2003 response

August 15, 2003 -- Rep. John D. Dingell releases a statement calling on Congress to quickly enact electricity reliability legislation based upon consensus bipartisan provisions in the controversial energy bill tied up in conference.

>>Read News Release

August 14, 2003 -- Blackout hits eight states and Canada. The power failure altered the lives of nearly 50 million Americans, endangered public safety, and cost industries, small businesses, and individuals millions of dollars.