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Background Information

The Bonneville Power Administration, working closely with the National Performance Review Team and the Office of Management and Budget, achieved a major accomplishment in its success in getting a delegation of authority memorandum from the President to the Secretary of Energy which now allows them to sell, lease, or dispose of real property with the approval of the Secretary of Energy instead of the President. As a result of Bonneville actively and aggressively pursuing approval of this delegation, approximately $1 million of the taxpayers money will be saved.

The Bonneville Project Act (16 USC, 832a(e); 50 Stat 733) specifics that approval of the sale of real estate by Bonneville must be approved by the President. The Bonneville Power Administration's expertise with this provision is that it probably costs approximately $1 million to process such a request to this highest executive level, and suggested that it was in the taxpayers interest for Bonneville to have the authority to sell, lease, or dispose of real property.

Consequently, Bonneville came to NPR for assistance in getting the President to delegate such authority to them. NPR added a few items to the proposal (e.g., a copy of the law so no one would have to look for it, and changed the letter to give the delegation to the Secretary of Energy) and sent it over to the Vice President's office for action. OMB's T.J. Glauthier ( the Program Associate Director over DOE) supported the idea and was instrumental in getting it signed by the President. The delegation was completed April 11, 1994 with a signed memo from President Clinton to the Secretary of Energy.

Main NPR Category: Cutting Red Tape, Cutting Back to Basics

Contact Person: Paul Crabtree

Contact Phone: (202) 588-5640

Washington, DC

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