California ISO Names Regulatory Counsel.

FOLSOM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 1999--

The California Independent System Operator (California ISO) announced the newest member of its Legal and Regulatory Affairs team. Jeanne M. Sole begins her new position as Regulatory Counsel June 28, 1999.

A member of the General Counsel Group, Ms. Sole will be one of two attorneys reporting to the Senior Regulatory Counsel. Her principal responsibilities include monitoring developments at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as well as ensuring compliance with all applicable state and federal regulatory requirements. As Regulatory Counsel, Ms. Sole will work directly with California ISO personnel to develop regulatory policies and positions for the California ISO.

Ms. Sole was formerly Manager at Hagler Bailly Services, Inc., San Francisco, an energy consulting firm specializing in international electric and gas industry policymaking. She advised governments and regulatory agencies on issues related to the energy industry including effective regulation, the introduction of competition, and the protection of consumer and investor interests. She has also represented clients in legislative and regulatory forums, and in negotiations related to the restructuring of the electric industries in California and New England.

Previously, Ms. Sole was an Associate with Grueneich Resource Advocates, San Francisco, and a Staff Attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts. She also served as a Judicial Clerk for the Vermont Supreme Court. Ms. Sole obtained a doctor of jurisprudence from Northeastern University School of Law in 1990 after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, in Theater Arts from Brandeis University. She is a member of the California Bar Association and the Vermont Bar Association.

"We are very fortunate that Ms. Sole is joining our team," said Vice President and General Counsel Beth Emery. "She has a broad depth of experience in nearly every facet of the electricity industry, in particular California restructuring. She is well-known for her skills in working with stakeholder groups and in representing the public interest. Those skills will serve her well as she takes on ambitious tasks here at the California ISO."

The California ISO was chartered by the state to manage the flow of electricity along the long-distance, high-voltage power lines that make up the bulk of California's transmission network. The not-for-profit public benefit corporation assumed the responsibility in March, 1998, when the state's investor-owned utilities turned their private transmission systems over to the California ISO's open market power grid. The mission of the Cal-ISO is to safeguard the reliable delivery of electricity and ensure equal access to the state's "electron highway" , which spans 124,000 miles or three-quarters of the state. The Cal-ISO is the second-largest control area in the U.S. and the fifth largest in the world. Its computerized control center is located in Folsom, 22 miles from the capital city of Sacramento.