On Thursday, February 28, 2013, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”) filed proposed revisions to its Standard Processes Manual (“SPM”) with FERC.  The SPM contains the procedures that govern NERC’s development of mandatory reliability standards.  NERC explained that the purpose of updating the SPM is to streamline the drafting, commenting and balloting processes used to develop mandatory reliability standards, and to provide greater clarity throughout the entire process.

NERC stated that the revised SPM was developed in conjunction with extensive outreach and participation by industry stakeholders.  It was approved by the NERC Board on February 7, 2013 as part of a larger group of NERC Standards Committee reforms aimed at developing a “comprehensive redesign of the NERC Reliability Standards development process focused on the development of Reliability Standards in a more timely and efficient manner that addresses the most important risks to the reliability of the Bulk Power System.”  In addition to the proposed SPM changes, the NERC Standards Committee developed: (1) a new Strategic Plan, setting out the mission and guiding principles of the Standards Committee for the next five years; (2) the Strategic Work Plan, setting out the details for how the Strategic Plan is to be implemented; and (3) a revised Standards Committee Charter setting out the Standards Committee’s role in the development of mandatory reliability standards.

View NERC’s filing with FERC here.