California senators heard arguments for and against the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, with some lawmakers voicing concerns about guardrails against market manipulation and what the effort means for the state's autonomy to set its own policies.

The Bonneville Power Administration should remain in CAISO’s WEIM and hold off on joining a day-ahead market, Seattle City Light and other Northwest parties urged in a letter sent to BPA CEO John Hairston.

The federal government has put on hold nearly $1 million in funding toward the development of a new independent Western RO to oversee CAISO’s WEIM and EDAM, the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative’s Launch Committee said.

CAISO's Western Energy Imbalance Market provided participants $374.25 million in benefits during the fourth quarter of 2024, down about 4% from the same period a year earlier, according to an ISO report.

BPA is not planning to acquire any major energy resources but is taking steps to ensure it’s ready in case those predictions should change, staff said during a presentation of the agency’s 2024 Resource Program.

The California Energy Commission will hold a workshop to discuss the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, signaling the state may consider a proposal to alter CAISO’s governance structure to accommodate broader concerns about the ISO’s lack of independence from politics.

Establishing a fast-start pricing mechanism in CAISO and the WEIM is complex and brings few benefits compared to other potential market enhancements, the ISO's Department of Market Monitoring said.

The Bonneville Power Administration tamped down expectations that it is all in on SPP’s Markets+, clarifying in a recent letter to lawmakers representing Oregon and Washington that it’s still weighing the pros and cons of joining a day-ahead market.