A Western regional transmission organization could emerge through a three-step process proposed Wednesday by the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, an effort that includes state utility regulators, utilities, advocacy groups and others.

In a first step, the proposal calls for increasing the independence of the Western Energy Imbalance Market’s governing body away from the California Independent System Operator’s board. Next, an independent regional organization would be created to oversee the EIM and CAISO’s emerging regional enhanced day-ahead market.

The Pathways Initiative aims to implement step one by early September and, after refining its proposal, launch a regional organization late this year, Kathleen Staks, Western Freedom executive director and co-chair of the initiative’s launch committee, said at a Nevada Public Utilities Commission workshop Wednesday. Creating a regional organization will require changes to California law, a step that would be pursued next year, she said.