CL:

I was wondering if you could explain what information you found in your second look at the NERC drill presentation materials that tipped you off that the presentation text was not official NERC policy.

I agree that the material was irresponsible. I can't see in their site where the text is attributed to an attendee or a non-NERC presenter.

These materials are being touted by a major radio/web doomsayer as conclusive proof that NERC is intending a coverup or falsification of the test.

What's up?

Thanks much,

Bob

-- Anonymous, February 20, 1999

Answers

Bob,

One of the documents gives the names of presenters. Look closely, I don't have time - my family is calling me to "get a life". It may have been in one of the documents that gave the schedule. I don't remember for sure, but I believe the presenter of the paper I took exception to was from a utility in a peninsular state to the south.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 1999

cl,

Thanks for the tip, no response to this post needed unless you think I'm off base.

The script as I understand it:

NERC conference attendees from various utilities are presented with a workshop agenda. The agenda includes an excersize where attendees are broken into small groups and are asked to contribute talking point responses to a series of seemingly well founded NERC questions. The talking points as contributed by individuals (irresponsible or not) are incorporated into a Powerpoint slide presentation to be later viewed and discussed by the whole conference. These talking points are also posted to the NERC conference web pages where the world views them and everyone (myself included) immediately assumes that what they are reading are clandestine NERC plans to tweak the April test results. The final irony here is that last night during an extended interview on the Art Bell show we hear Gary North's shrill attack on the power generation industry (he having jumped to the same conclusion as the rest of us) for sponsoring a massive coverup of Y2K remediation negligence.

Today 12,564 more people go out and try to buy a generator.

Did I miss something?

Bob

-- Anonymous, February 20, 1999

Bob, the facilitator for the NERC Workshop Topic of "Y2K Drill Preparations" is listed as D. Miller. At the same "Breakout Session 2", of which Mr. Miller was a part, the other facilitators listed are: A. Moon, D.Swanson, S. Whitney and G. Cauley.

D. Miller is one of the ten NERC Regional Y2K Coordinators, representing the FRCC Region of NERC. (See: http://www.nerc.com/y2k/assessment.html)

A. Moon is a NERC Staff Coordinator and is listed as Telecommunications Manager on the NERC Council Staff. G. Cauley is also listed as a NERC Staff Coordinator and Principal Consultant on the NERC Council Staff. Gene Gorzelnik, who presented the initial welcome and Objectives and Format for the Workshop, is Director of Communications, NERC Council Staff. (See: ftp://www.nerc.com/pub/sys/all_updl/docs/misc/roster.pdf)

While it might be debated whether the materials presented at the NERC Workshop were "policy" (which, to my knowledge, is always vetted by an organization's lawyer before publication) as you can see, it's also not the case that the presenters of this material were obscure rogue individuals either. They are listed as part of the NERC organization and are actively involved in the NERC Y2K effort.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 1999

Bonnie:

Thanks, you really dig for the details.

However, I am still left with the impression that the circumstances surrounding the existence of the documents in question are far to benign to be held up by G. North as evidence of a planned industry coverup of the big test.

Is this all he's got for a national radio audience that wants red meat?

Bob

-- Anonymous, February 23, 1999

Bob, I didn't hear what Mr. North said, and I can't speculate on any of his reasoning in the matter. I look at the situation in this way. Are all corporate businesses interested in presenting a positive "press" to the public which represents their shareholders and customers? Yes. Do they consider that taking public relations into account in corporate activities to be a coverup? No. Is the entire electric industry engaged in a nefarious plot? Of course not. Would the industry very much like the drill to be successful? Yes. Somewhere in between those positions is the essence of the matter.

The people in NERC aren't angels and they aren't devils, they're just people. For us, just knowing that public relations plays a big part in any industry press releases and activities allows us the option of tempering reports downwards according to our level of skeptism. It's sort of like watching a commercial on TV, being interested in what is said, but also knowing that it was intended to persuade us in the direction of buying the product. The only danger for an individual is if they don't realize that public relations is endemic to almost every aspect of the American way of life, and that every business (or government agency) trys to "sell" itself to some extent.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 1999