Western's resource acquisition activities will be determined by project-specific power marketing plans, hydropower production capability, and the application of the following principles of IRP:

(a) Western will consider a full range of resource options, both supply-side and demand-side, as well as renewable resource options.

(b) On a project-by-project basis, Western, through a public process involving interested stakeholders will develop criteria to be used in evaluating power resource alternatives.

(c) Evaluation criteria will address cost, environmental impact, dependability, dispatchability, risk, diversity, and the ability to verify demand-side alternatives. Evaluation criteria will be reviewed as the need for resources changes or when long-term commitments to purchase power expire.

(d) Evaluation criteria will be consistent with Western's power marketing policy, which states that Federal power is to be marketed in such a manner as to encourage the most widespread use thereof at the lowest possible rates to consumers consistent with sound business principles. The policy, found in Delegation Order No. 00-037.00A, is derived from statutes authorizing the sale of power from both Department of the Army and Department of the Interior hydroelectric projects. These statutes include section 5 of the Flood Control Act of 1944, 16 U.S.C. 825(s) and section 9(c) of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939.

(e) Resource acquisition planning will be consistent with power marketing plans and associated contractual obligations.

(f) Resource acquisition decisions will be documented and made available to Western's power customers and the public.

Western's transmission planning is conducted to assess the capability of the Federal transmission system to provide adequate and reliable electric service to its customers and the interconnected power grid. These planning efforts occur as part of its participation in regional and sub-regional planning entities as well as Western's Open Access Transmission Tariff.