PES Develops Its Policy Voice

IEEE's Power Engineering Society has recognized for many years the need to speak on policy issues, such as energy and the environment, with statements that are comprehensive, meaningful and representative of the membership. But it has not had an organizational component to make it happen. In the summer of 2001, PES established the Policy Development Coordinating Committee to address this and other large matters of a technical nature where broad commercial interests are at issue. This paper describes the background, obstacles and steps in developing PDCC's first project, a timely policy statement on energy and the environment.