NERC Audits for FERC Compliance: Lessons Learned

Meeting the Complex NERC Reliability Standards to Avoid Substantial Penalties

Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar/teleconference with Q&A


Conducted on Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Recorded event now available


This CLE seminar will discuss complying with NERC's reliability standards, compiling evidence needed to demonstrate compliance, preparing for NERC audits, and responding to possible compliance violations.

Description

Compliance with the NERC Reliability Standards is complex and challenging. Although primarily technical in nature, the Reliability Standards include significant legal and regulatory hurdles for companies.

Managing the risks associated with the audit requires first undertaking a pre-audit assessment, then addressing potential audit problems, and finally implementing a program and structure to ensure continued compliance.

With the threat of penalties up to $1 million per day per violation, companies and counsel must thoroughly understand the audit process and how to minimize the risk of non-compliance.

Listen as our authoritative panel of attorneys experienced with NERC audits examines the audit process from counsel's perspective and discusses internal compliance programs, pre-audit preparation, substantiation of compliance, and steps to take if auditors identify a potential violation.

Outline

  1. Internal compliance programs
    1. Assessment
    2. Remedial action plan
    3. Implementation
  2. Audit process
  3. Pre-audit preparation
    1. Identifying potential areas of risk
    2. Self-reporting?
    3. Mock audit
  4. Demonstrating compliance
  5. Responding to possible violations

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key questions:

  • What strategies should companies and counsel employ to develop and implement effective compliance programs?
  • What are the key areas of potential risk and what steps should companies and counsel take to minimize those risks?
  • What actions should companies and counsel take if auditors identify possible violations?

Faculty

Deborah A. Carpentier, Partner
Dickstein Shapiro, Washington, D.C.

She focuses primarily on federal regulatory and transactional energy issues for electric utilities and natural gas companies in matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). This representation includes advising clients on regulatory and reliability-related compliance programs, and NERC Reliability Standards.

J. Christopher Hajovsky, Director of Regulatory Affairs and NERC Reliability Standards
RRI Energy, Inc., Houston

His responsibilities included development and oversight for RRI Energy’s NERC Corporate Compliance Program, RRI’s market development activities, and oversight of the RRI Energy team that manages various compliance and reporting obligations in the 13 states in which RRI Energy holds assets or conducts business, as well numerous jurisdictional federal agencies.

Ordering

Recorded Event

Includes full event recording plus handouts (available after live seminar).

CLE: Pre-approved for self-study credit in AK, AZ, CA, CT*, MO, MT, NY*, TX, VT, WA. Upon request, self-study credit is also available in: CO, FL, GA, ID, KY, LA, ME, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OR, UT, WI, WV, WY. If you are applying for self-study credit in one of these states, contact Strafford CLE at 1-800-926-7926 ext. 35 or CLE@straffordpub.com. (*For CT and NY, Strafford needs to process the CLE — see below to purchase this option.)

MP3 Download (Audio with Slide PDFs) $297.00
Available 24 hours after the live event

How does this work?

Webinar Download (Slide Presentation with Audio) $297.00
Available three business days after the live event

How does this work?

CD (Audio with Slide PDFs) $297.00 plus $9.45 S&H
Available ten business days after the live event

DVD (Slide Presentation with Audio) $297.00 plus $9.45 S&H
Available ten business days after the live event

CLE Processing on Recorded Event $65.00


CLE on Live Event

Continuing Legal Education credit processing is available for an additional $65 per person per state in states where webinars and teleconferences are accredited.

This webinar is eligible for at least 1.5 general CLE credits, depending on state rules.

You may register for CLE credit processing before or after a program (application deadlines vary by state).  Exceptions: Pennsylvania attorneys must pre-register for CLE. Maine and Alabama attorneys please call 1-800-926-7926 ext. 10 for special instructions.

CLE credits are not available for DE, IN, KS, OH, and PR or for NY attorneys admitted within the last 2 years.

CLE Processing $65.00

How does this work?

Webinar/Teleconference

Strafford webinars/teleconferences offer several options for participation: online viewing of speaker-controlled PowerPoint presentations with audio via computer speakers or via phone; or audio only via telephone (download speaker handouts prior to the program).  Please note that our webinars do not feature videos of the presenters.

Program Materials

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Program Materials

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CLE Credit

Strafford's live seminars qualify for CLE in every state that accredits webinars. They offer you a high quality, cost effective, and convenient CLE option, with no lost travel time or expenses.

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Customer Reviews

All of the speakers had a wide range of knowledge.

Kimberly Hayes

General Mills

Content was excellent.

Jonelle Burnham

Kimberly-Clark

The presentations provided great insight.

Josh WInslow

Pabian & Russell

The back-and-forth between the panelists made the program easy to listen to. The slides were very well done.

Chris Kelly

Mayer Brown

A thoroughly professionally structured and presented program.

Roy Gowey

City of Coeur d'Alene

Environmental Law Advisory Board

John J. Allen

Partner

Allen Matkins

Albert M. Cohen

Partner

Loeb & Loeb

Aaron Courtney

Of Counsel

Stoel Rives

Paul E. Gutermann

Partner

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld

Brian D. Israel

Partner

Arnold & Porter

Thomas J. P. McHenry

Partner

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher

Reed D. Rubinstein

Shareholder

Greenberg Traurig

Jeffrey A. Smith

Partner

Cravath Swaine & Moore

Gregory D. Trimarche

Partner

Bryan Cave