WASHINGTON, DC & OTTAWA, CANADA - Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham and Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Herb Dhaliwal, as Co-Chairs of the U.S.-Canada Joint Task Force on the Power Outage, today announced the membership of three Working Groups that will support the work of the Task Force.

The Task Force was appointed by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to identify the causes of the recent power outage that affected North America, and to seek solutions to help prevent future outages.

"We have combined important elements of the government to ensure that no stone is left unturned and that all those involved have an avenue to provide the investigative team with critical information," said Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. "This investigation is a top priority for President Bush and for Prime Minister Chrétien. Minister Dhaliwal and I are in close contact with each other and with the leadership of the Task Force, and we expect to make periodic reports on our progress."

Minister Dhaliwal said, "These experienced and knowledgable experts represent our key partners in ensuring the security and efficiency of our electric power system. We have consulted extensively with the Government of Ontario since the beginning in selecting appropriate experts to contribute to the efforts of the Working Groups. The province will play a vital role in these working groups."

The Working Groups include representatives of all relevant federal departments and agencies, technical experts, senior representatives from the relevant states and the Province of Ontario. These three working groups will address electric system, security and nuclear issues:

The Electric System Working group will be co-chaired by Alison Silverstein and David Meyer (U.S.) and Thomas Rusnov (Canada). The Security Working Group will be co-chaired by William J.S. Elliott (Canada) and Bob Liscouski (U.S.). The Nuclear Working Group will be co-chaired by Linda J. Keen (Canada) and Nils Diaz (U.S.)

In addition, the North American Electric Reliability Council and the affected Independent System Operators and utilities have agreed that their investigations will supplement and contribute to the work of the Task Force. The input of experts from Ontario and the affected states will also contribute to the work of the Task Force and the working groups will use their input extensively.

Some states and the Province of Ontario are also conducting their own review of the event. Their results will also contribute to the work of the Task Force. Local authorities, private sector electricity providers and other experts will be invited to contribute to the work of the Task Force.

The work of the Task Force is being coordinated by Dr. Nawal Kamel on behalf of Natural Resources Canada, and Jimmy Glotfelty on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy.

A complete list of the members of the Working Groups is attached. A complete list of the Task Force members is available on the web at http://nrcan.gc.ca/media/ and www.energy.gov.

WORKING GROUPS FOR JOINT CANADA-U.S. TASK FORCE INVESTIGATION ON THE POWER OUTAGE

Electric System Working Group
Co-Chairs

• Thomas Rusnov, Senior Advisor, Natural Resources Canada (Government of Canada)
• Alison Silverstein, Assistant to the Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (U.S. Government)
• David Meyer, Senior Advisor, Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution, Department of Energy (U.S. Government)

Canadian Members

• David Burpee, Director, Renewable and Electrical Energy Division Natural Resources Canada (Government of Canada)
• David Barrie, Senior Vice President, Asset Management Hydro One (Government of Canada)
• David McFadden, Chair, National Energy and Infrastructure Industry Group Gowling, Lafleur, Henderson LLP (Ontario)

U.S. Members

• Joe Eto, Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Director, CERTS (U.S. Government)
• Gene Whitney, Policy Analyst, Office of Science & Technology Policy (U.S. Government)
• Donald Downes, PUC Chairman (Connecticut)
• David O'Connor, Commissioner, Division of Energy Resources, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (Massachusetts)
• J. Peter Lark, PUC Chairman (Michigan)
• Jeanne M. Fox, President, New Jersey Board of Pubic Utilities (New Jersey)
• H. Kenneth Haase, Sr. Vice President, Transmission New York Power Authority (New York)
• Alan Schriber, PUC Chairman (Ohio)
• Blaine Loper, Senior Engineer, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
• David O'Brien, Vermont Public Service Department, Commissioner (Vermont)

Security Working Group
Co-Chairs

• William J.S. Elliott, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Security and Intelligence, Privy Council Office (Government of Canada)
• Bob Liscouski, Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Government)

Canadian Members

• James Harlick, Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (Government of Canada)
• Peter MacAulay, Officer in Charge of Technological Crime Branch Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Government of Canada)
• Ralph Mahar, Chief, Technical Operations, Scientific and Technical Services, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Government of Canada)
• Dr. James Young, Commissioner of Public Security Ontario Ministry of Public Safety and Security (Ontario)

U.S. Members

• Hal Hendershot, Acting Section Chief, Computer Intrusion Section Federal Bureau of Investigation (U.S. Government)
• Paul Kurtz, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Critical Infrastructure Protection, Homeland Security Council (U.S. Government)
• Kevin Kolevar, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Energy Department of Energy (U.S. Government)
• Simon Szykman, Senior Policy Analyst U.S. Office of Science &Technology Policy (U.S. Government)
• Vincent DeRosa, Deputy Commissioner, Director of Homeland Security, Department of Public Safety (Connecticut)
• Richard Swensen, Under Secretary Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security (Massachusetts)
• Colonel Michael C. McDaniel, Assistant Adjutant General for Homeland Security (Michigan)
• Sid Casperson, Director, Office of Counter Terrorism (New Jersey)
• James McMahon, Senior Advisor (New York)
• John Overly, Executive Director, Division of Homeland Security (Ohio)
• Arthur Stephens, Deputy Secretary for Information Technology, Office of Administration (Pennsylvania)
• Kerry L. Sleeper, Commissioner, Public Safety (Vermont)

Nuclear Power Working Group
Co-Chairs

• Nils Diaz, Chairman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. Government)
• Linda J. Keen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Government of Canada)

Canadian Members

• Robert Morrison, Senior Advisor, Natural Resources Canada (Government of Canada)
• James Blyth, Director General, Reactor Power Regulation, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Government of Canada)
• Ken Pereira, Vice President, Operations Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Government of Canada)
• Duncan Hawthorne, Chief Executive Officer, Bruce Power (Ontario)

U.S. Members

• Bill Magwood, Director, Office of Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy (U.S. Government)
• Gene Whitney, Policy Analyst, U.S. Office of Science & Technology Policy (U.S. Government)
• Sam Collins, Deputy Executive Director for Reactor Programs U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Edward Wilds, Bureau of Air Management, Department of Environmental Protection (Connecticut)
• David O'Connor, Commissioner, Division of Energy Resources, Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (Massachusetts)
• J. Peter Lark, PUC Chairman (Michigan)
• Frederick F. Butler, Commissioner, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (New Jersey)
• Paul Eddy, Power Systems Operations Specialist 5 Public Service Commission (New York)
• Dr. Ivan Moldonado, Associate Professor, Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering; University of Cincinnati (Ohio)
• David J. Allard, CHP, Director, Bureau of Radiation Protection Department of Environmental Protection (Pennsylvania)
• David O'Brien, Public Service Department, Commissioner (Vermont)

Media Contact(s):
Jeanne Lopatto or Joe Davis, 202/586-4940
Corry Schiermeyer, 202/586-5806