Western Interstate Planning Energy Board
The Western Interstate Energy Board is an organization of 12 western states and three western Canadian provinces, which are associate members of the Board. The governor of each state appoints a member to the Board. The legal basis of the Board is the Western Interstate Nuclear Compact (Public Law 91-461). The Compact provides for the President of the United States to appoint an ex-officio member to the Board.
The Compact states that the purpose of the Board is to provide the instruments and framework for cooperative state efforts to "enhance the economy of the West and contribute to the well-being of the region's people." The Board seeks to achieve this purpose through cooperative efforts among member states/provinces and with the federal government in the energy field. The Board serves as the energy arm of the Western Governors’ Association.
Much of the work of the Board is conducted through committees. Committee members are appointed by Board representatives and often have expertise on a particular issue. The Board has three committees:
The High-Level Radioactive Waste Committee which consists of nuclear waste transportation experts from state energy, public safety, and environmental agencies, has been working with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a safe and publicly acceptable system for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
The Reclamation Committee which consists of the state mine reclamation agencies from the western coal producing states of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, has been working to improve the administration of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act in western states.
The Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation which consists of the public utility commissions, energy agencies and facility siting agencies in the western states and Canadian provinces in the western electricity grid, has been working to improve the efficiency of the western electric power system.
