The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative’s Launch Committee on March 28 said it hopes to seat a permanent board by either 2026 or 2027 for the regional organization (RO) that will govern CAISO’s Western energy markets.
Specifically, the Pathways Formation Committee is considering seating a permanent board by either July 2026 or April 2027 under Phase 2 of the group’s plan, which includes creating an RO that will oversee CAISO’s Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM), according to a committee presentation.
Speaking during a monthly update call, Kathleen Staks, executive director of Western Freedom and the Launch Committee’s co-chair, said the committee is evaluating the dates and will provide a recommendation during the next stakeholder meeting April 26.
A seven-member interim board will be put in place in the meantime, because board members must be listed when corporate documents are filed with the Internal Revenue Service, according to the presentation.
Staks clarified that the interim board will have limited duties and that the Launch Committee will retain its decision-making role. Putting in place an interim board, instead of seating a permanent one this early in the development of the RO, also saves money, Staks said.
Launch Committee member Jim Shetler, general manager of the Balancing Authority of Northern California, said about $250,000 is needed to sustain the committee through October, when the so-called Pathways Legislation is expected to pass in the California legislature. (See Pathways ‘Step 2’ Bill Sets Conditions for EDAM Governance.)
Shetler said he’s “comfortable” there’s enough money “to get us through October.”
“The issue will be post-October, … we’re looking at a couple options around when do we seat the permanent board, and the timing around that will obviously impact how much money we need. So, we’re still refining those numbers,” he said.
Shetler expects a budget within the next 30 to 60 days, “with a goal of trying to get commitments in place starting in October, November of this year to fund the remaining efforts on this Pathways Initiative.”
Meanwhile, nearly $1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy is “still in limbo,” Staks said.
Pathways received a commitment of nearly $1 million from the DOE under former President Joe Biden’s administration in November to underwrite the committee’s efforts to establish an RO to oversee CAISO’s WEIM and EDAM.
The award was issued through the Pathways Initiative’s philanthropy adviser, Global Impact, which the group’s Launch Committee partnered with earlier in 2024 to secure outside funding for its operations, which so far have been supported by donations — and volunteered staff — from its participants.
President Donald Trump’s administration on Jan. 27 paused all federal grants and loans, according to a memo issued by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget.
