LAKEWOOD, Colo.--Western Area Power Administration has been tasked by the Secretary of Energy to lead efforts to relieve a major transmission bottleneck known as Path 15 in central California. This action, announced today by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, is one of several immediate steps being taken by the Department of Energy to support the President's National Energy Policy. Western will start work immediately to complete the technical feasibility and environmental studies for the proposed project and will also seek partners in the 84-mile 500-kV transmission line between Los Banos and Gates. "Easing this constrained transmission path is only one piece of a long-term solution to California's energy crisis," said Western's Administrator Mike Hacskaylo. "We bring technical expertise in planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining a large high-voltage transmission system. But we cannot complete this project on our own." One of the agency's first steps is to find out which entities are interested in participating in the proposed project. "We're also going to move ahead with the technical and environmental studies on a parallel path because of the severe need to move power from where it's generated to where it's needed in California," Hacskaylo added. "Since the public and other Federal, state and local entities are interested in this proposed project, Western will coordinate our environmental studies with the public and with Federal, state and local jurisdictions to ensure their concerns are addressed."

 Western has experience in leading efforts to build these kinds of projects, including serving as the project manager for the last large-scale transmission project built in California, the 350-mile California-Oregon Transmission Project completed in 1993.

 Western is developing details on how to indicate an interest in participating in the proposed project as a partial owner and the public process conducted as part of the environmental studies. Information will be posted on Western's Web site as it is developed. To receive periodic information on this proposed project, including opportunities for public participation, send your contact information to: Timothy J. Meeks, Chief Program Officer, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, CO  80228-8213, 720-962-7071, e-mail: meeks@wapa.gov.