pushed Southern California Edison and Pacific 
Gas & Electric Co. to the brink of insolvency. 
Power companies that sell to the ISO and the utilities said they were 
confident an independent examination will find that they did nothing wrong. 
"We stand by our practices," said Richard Wheatley of Reliant Energy in 
Houston, which owns about 8 percent of California's in-state generating 
capacity. "We have operated legally and ethically at all times in 
California." 
FERC has been under fire from state and federal officials and lawmakers for 
not being aggressive in dealing with the electricity crisis. 
In recent weeks the agency has taken several actions, including proposing 
refunds for January and February. 
But those who have watched the agency over the years say the actions do not 
yet signalJose City Council, which rejected Calpine's plan to build a 
600-megawatt plant in the city's southern end, the Santa Clara council 
directed staff to seek proposals for building the small to medium plants. 
The plants probably would be owned and operated by the municipal electric 
utility, Silicon Valley Power, or possibly by private companies. 
"These plants are being built to meet our future load requirements," said 
Larry Owens, division manager of customer services for the city's power 
company. "Adding new generation to our portfolio of existing in-town 
resources will keep us ahead of the curve." 
Santa Clara, along with Palo Alto and Alameda, is among the few 
municipalities in the Bay Area that own and operate its own utilities. The 
city generates 40 percent of its power with