FERC Approves in Part and Denies in Part NERC ROP Revisions

On July 19, 2018, in Docket No. RR17-6-000, FERC issued an order approving, in part, and denying, in part, proposed revisions to NERC's Rules of Procedure (ROP) sections 600 (Personnel Certification) and 900 (Training and Education). NERC filed the revisions on June 26, 2017 in an attempt to: (1) clarify the scope of the Personnel Certification Program, the Training and Education Program and the Continuing Education Program, and (2) streamline and align the language of the ROP with current practices of those programs. FERC approves the revisions intended to streamline and clarify language in the ROP. However, FERC does not approve NERC’s revisions affecting rights, obligations, and procedures regarding the suspension of an operator’s certification (section 603), resolving disputes arising in the certification process through a dispute resolution process (section 604), and initiating disciplinary actions against operators for matters such as “willful, gross, and/or repeated violation” of Reliability Standards or performance of duties as a certified system operator (section 605). FERC concludes that if these provisions are removed and placed only in a NERC manual, they would be subject to further change with minimal, if any, stakeholder input and Commission review. FERC directs NERC to submit a compliance filing within 120 days removing the approved revisions and restoring sections 603, 604, and 605.