Sounds like we had similar mentors at some points early in our respective careers.
I think that the person who last responded told me that they didn't follow their procedures because they felt they could mitigate the problem. Sort of like we know better than the rules that govern our operations so trust us. I think that I may have gotten as much of an admission that they didn't follow their own rules as they are likely to voluntarily provide.
It should be interesting to see if they refuse to tell me what is going on or not. If they refuse, I am not sure if I should repeat my request with a cc to FERC/NERC/WECC/ one of my US Senators or some newspaper reporters. Choices, choice, choices.
Sounds like we also had the same difficulty, managing our way among the generally incompetent.
If they think it profits them to run and stonewall you, coercion won't work. If you can nail them in an outright lie, you can then agree to allow them some conciliatory damage control (dropping the threat) in exchange for what you want.
Yeah, I've been there. Try cramming a completely new process down the throat of a backward plant manager, in another country, when he's got the incompetent contractors you need to install the equipment by the balls (I had to do some of the work at night to fix their screw-ups, there was almost a union work stoppage until I proclaimed loudly how much I liked their work). If the plant electricians hadn't liked me more than their boss I'd have been toast.
I think that I may have gotten as much of an admission that they didn't follow their own rules as they are likely to voluntarily provide.
Why not contact T.U.R.N.?