EEI asks US FERC to shield location of power plants, other assets

Washington (Platts)--5Apr2005

The Edison Electric Institute wants the US Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission to tighten its post-Sep 11 program designed to protect against the
release of sensitive energy infrastructure data by limiting public access to
the location of energy facilities. In comments Tuesday, EEI, which represents
US investor-owned electric utilities, said FERC should reconsider its decision
not to protect as critical energy infrastructure information the location of
facilities. 

"At a minimum," EEI told FERC, "information about the location of particular
components of the nation's energy system that raise heightened security
concerns should not be disclosed, except on a need-to-know basis and under a
non-disclosure agreement. Even if such information has been made public in the
past, the commission needs to begin treating it as CEII now. If the release of
information could facilitate terrorist or other improper activity against the
energy infrastructure, the commission simply should not give the information
to the general public."

FERC, which requested comments on the effectiveness of the program in March,
decided in prior orders that the release of location information is necessary
in part to assist licensing and environmental reviews of proposed projects.
"If such information is needed for such reviews," EEI said it "should be kept
as general as possible." 

EEI also urged FERC to ensure that the non-disclosure or confidentiality terms
of the program are being met. "We are aware that a number of asset-owning
companies have objected to release of their proprietary information to
consultants, mapping companies, and other entities that would use this data
for commercial purposes. "Given that the CEII protocol has been in effect for
almost two years, we respectfully suggest it is time that these assurances be
reviewed, especially given the number of disclosures that have been made, the
underlying sensitivity of the data involved, the concerns expressed by
submitting companies and the purposes that outside parties have asserted for
the release of such data."

This story was originally published in Platts Electricity Alert
http://www.electricityalert.platts.com

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