Did this get posted? Anyhoo, he does... name *some* names.

Diane

08 September 1999

Text: Energy's Richardson Names Electric Utilities Not "Y2K-Ready"

(Eight major providers not yet Y2K-ready) (830)

http://www.usia.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=99090805.wlt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

While "cautiously optimistic" because 99 percent of the more than 3,000 U.S. energy providers consider themselves "Y2K-ready," U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson expressed concern September 8 that there are still eight major electric utility providers that are not yet Y2K-ready, or are Y2K-ready with limited exceptions.

According to a Department of Energy (DOE) news release, Richardson also made public the names of 16 other small municipal utilities and rural cooperatives that have not reported their progress dealing with the Y2K problem and ordered the Energy Department to subject 20 randomly-selected companies to reviews of their Y2K readiness.

The Energy Secretary was scheduled to visit a power facility in Vancouver, Washington late September 8 for an exercise described as a "key opportunity" for Y2K testing, because some software programs use the number nine to mean 'end of input,' and thus could shut down computers on 9-9-99 (September 9, 1999). According to DOE, the exercise is intended to simulate "as realistically as possible" various communications, administrative, and contingency plans for then Y2K transition.

Following is the text of the news release:

(begin text)

U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, D.C.
News Release
September 8, 1999

RICHARDSON NAMES UTILITIES NOT YET Y2K-READY

U.S. Energy Secretary Is "Cautiously Optimistic" as More Than 99 Percent of the Nation's Electric Supply Reports "Y2K-Ready"

On the eve of a nationwide Y2K electric utility industry preparedness test, Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson today expressed concern that there are still 8 major electric utility providers that are not yet Y2K-ready, or are Y2K-ready with limited exceptions. An additional 16 municipal utilities and rural cooperatives have not reported their progress to the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

"With just over 100 days until the year 2000, those suppliers that haven't yet stepped up to the plate need to be especially aggressive to prepare for the rollover," Secretary Richardson said. "All power providers, regardless of their level of preparedness, must continue to test all their systems to ensure consumers that their lights will stay on into the next millennium."

Following the North American Electric Reliability Council's (NERC) final Y2K status report in August, the Department of Energy (DOE) sent letters to utilities not yet ready or ready with exceptions, as well as to those municipal and cooperative utilities which have yet to report on the status of their readiness efforts. Lists of those that reported to NERC that they weren't Y2K-ready, or Y2K-ready with limited exceptions, and municipal and cooperative utilities who have not reported Y2K-readiness are attached.

Richardson also directed the department to conduct an additional 20 reviews of randomly-selected electric utilities over the coming months to augment audits of 36 such utilities already undertaken by the department. The audits completed to date generally confirm the information regarding the overall status of Y2K readiness received through the industry survey process.

Cautiously optimistic that the vast majority of the more than 3,000 electric utility companies, municipal utilities and rural cooperatives are prepared, Richardson will continue to push for full preparedness. On Wednesday evening, September 8, he will participate in a drill at DOE's Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in Vancouver, Washington. This dress rehearsal provides a key opportunity for Y2K testing because some computer programmers have used nines to mean end of input, which could shut down computer programs on September 9, 1999. The drill is intended to simulate as realistically as possible the exercise of operation, communications, administrative and contingency plans for the Y2K transition.

Immediately following the BPA test Secretary Richardson will receive reports on utility tests held in other areas of the country.

DOE was tasked by the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion with coordinating and monitoring the progress of the nation's energy sector. Undertaking an aggressive effort to assure compliance through a program of information exchange, reporting, analysis and audits, the Energy Department is working closely with NERC, state and local officials.

UTILITIES THAT REPORTED TO THE NORTH AMERICAN ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL THAT THEY WEREN'T "Y2K READY" OR WERE "Y2K READY WITH LIMITED EXCEPTIONS"

Central Louisiana Electric Company

City Public Service, San Antonio, Texas

Cogentrix Energy, Inc.

Lafayette Utilities System, Lafayette, Louisiana

City of Lakeland, Florida

Milford Operating Company

Utility Board of Brownsville, Texas

Plains Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Albuquerque, New Mexico

MUNICIPAL AND COOPERATIVE UTILITIES WHO HAVE NOT REPORTED Y2K READINESS AS OF NERC'S AUGUST 3 REPORT

San Isabel Electric Association Pueblo, Colorado

Central Missouri Electric Cooperative Sedalia, Missouri

Pontotoc Electric Power Association Lucedale, Mississippi

Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association Batesville, Mississippi

Licking Rural Electrification, Inc., Utica, Ohio

Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., Marysville, Ohio

Hood River Electric Cooperative, Odell, Oregon

Pickwick Electric Cooperative, Selmer, Tennessee

Prince George Electric Cooperative, Waverly, Virginia

Wyrulec Company

Lingle, Wyoming

City of Albion, Idaho

City of Herndon, Kansas

City of Mansfield, Missouri

Village of Cygnet, Ohio

Maricopa County (Arizona) Electric District Number 8

(end text)

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 11, 1999

Answers

See also...

Utility Offiicals Discount DOE Report of Y2K Readiness

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 001O6N

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), September 11, 1999.

Also see this article from August about the 99% "readiness" statistic:

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_franke_news/19990804_xndfr_coveru p_la.shtml

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), September 11, 1999.

That one at Picwick Tn. is a Dam on the Tennessee river that produces electricity.

-- (I go fishing@there.net), September 11, 1999.

It's also the mouth of the Tom Bigbee(sp?) waterway that stretches from the gulf of Mexico at Mobile Al all the way to the Ohio river at Paducah Kentucky. MAJOR shipping route , barge traffic could grind to a halt if there is no power to pump the water for the Locks at Picwick.

-- (I go fishing @there.net), September 11, 1999.

I like the last paragraph from the WorldnetDaily article:

Bottom line: 81 of the 268 entities reporting to NERC (64 + 17) were not Y2K ready at the end of the second quarter of 1999. That's 30 percent of the total. For some reason, though, NERC decided against a headline saying "70 percent of utilities reporting to us are Y2K ready." Instead we are told that "More than 99 percent of all the critical elements of the U.S. and Canadian electricity supply systems are ready for Y2K."

does sound a lot better -- even if no one really knows what it means.

And I sure haven't seen detailed info on anywhere close to 3000 electric utilities. Was it included in any of the links above? Somehow we jumped from NERC's 268 - 70% of whom are "ready" - to "While "cautiously optimistic" because 99 percent of the more than 3,000 U.S. energy providers consider themselves "Y2K-ready," ....

Must be another of Cory's "making flippy motions with a hanky".

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 12, 1999.