FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2002
CONTACT: LaVerne Kyriss, 720-962-7051, kyriss@wapa.gov

LAKEWOOD, Colo.--Bob Harris, long-time stalwart in Western's Upper Great Plains regional office in Billings, Mont., was recently selected to lead the region by Western's Administrator Mike Hacskaylo.

"Bob brings a thorough understanding of both customer needs and the unique nature of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin power and transmission system to his new duties as regional manager," Hacskaylo said in announcing Harris' selection on Oct. 3. "Through his service on various Mid-Continent Area Power Pool committees, Bob also gained an excellent understanding of how Western fits in with the larger interconnected power grid."

Since 1996, Harris has been UGP's Power Marketing manager. Before that he spent two and a half years as assistant area manager for engineering and marketing, four and a half years as assistant area manager for engineering, operations and maintenance and three years as assistant area manager for engineering. Harris began his Federal career with the Bureau of Reclamation in 1972 and joined Western's staff in the Billings Area Office in 1978 as the System Development and System Development division director.

Harris holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado. He also represents Western in a number of industry forums, including serving as the chairman of Mid-Continent Area Power Pool's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Western's Upper Great Plains regional office markets more than 2,000 megawatts of firm Federal hydropower in a six-state area across 7,745 miles of Western-owned transmission line to 321 customers. This power is from Yellowtail Powerplant on the Bighorn River in Montana and the seven Missouri River mainstem dams in Montana and the Dakotas. UGP staff collected $293 million in Pick-Sloan power sale revenues in FY 2001.