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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sylvester80 who wrote (451242)	9/1/2003 4:28:03 PM
From: DavesM	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

sylverster, why didn't you provided a link to your post? Leave something out? This is one of the reasons why I put you on ignore, till today. Back on ignore for you! Let's read the ENTIRE section... energytrends.pnl.gov "Utility Deregulation: The push to deregulate the US utility industry formally began with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the subsequent release of the April 24, 1996, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order Number 888, which required electric utilities to open their transmission systems to power generated by other companies. However, unlike the situation in many other nations, the process by which utility deregulation in the United States is being implemented is not being driven by any overarching national policy. Rather, for the time being, the direction and the pace for utility deregulation is largely being set by state-level decisions. At the national level, five major bills were introduced in the 105th Session of Congress to "comprehensively" implement utility deregulation, and in March 1998 the Clinton Administration finalized its proposal to comprehensively deregulate the nation’s utilities b. In the context of the United States, "comprehensive" utility restructuring legislation would: (1) allow (and in some cases mandate) retail wheeling, i.e., allow customers to choose their electricity suppliers; (2) fundamentally reform and/or repeal various aspects of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) that guaranteed small generators and cogenerators of electricity a market for their electricity; and (3) seek to repeal aspects of the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) which regulates financial transactions between companies that have interests in public utility companies. The six major legislative proposals differ significantly with respect to how utility deregulation should unfold across the United States. For example, these bills establish "dates certain" for full nationwide retail competition that vary from January 1, 1999, to January 1, 2003, while other bills do not specify a date, leaving that decision up to the individual states. The proposals also differ as to how "stranded costs" should be recovered and on the desirability of federal mandates for public benefit surcharges and renewable energy portfolio standards (both of which are designed to retain some of the "public benefit" programs that were supported by utilities when they were regulated). Given so much uncertainty at the federal level on how utility restructuring should be carried out, for the time being the States have been allowed to set the pace of utility restructuring. Indeed, some states such as California, New York and New Hampshire are the forefront in rapidly pushing utility deregulation. On March 31, 1998, California became the first state to completely deregulate its utilities and to allow all consumers to buy electric power from any supplier. However, owing to technical difficulties in implementing the law, deregulation c and its hoped-for lower energy prices for consumers appears to be unfolding rather slowly in California. 23 Many other states are, at least for the time being, slowing their push to deregulate utilities within their jurisdiction as they pause to observe how California will overcome the difficulties it has encountered in implementing its ambitious deregulation plans. Currently, 48 states and the District of Columbia have initiated some form of activity ranging from passing legislation and actually beginning the process of deregulation to asking the state regulatory body or other advisory boards to study whether and how the state should pursue utility deregulation. 24" re:"Utility Deregulation: The push to deregulate the US utility industry formally began with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the subsequent release of the April 24, 1996, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order Number 888, which required electric utilities to open their transmission systems to power generated by other companies. However, unlike the situation in many other nations, the process by which utility deregulation in the United States is being implemented is not being driven by any overarching national policy. Rather, for the time being, the direction and the pace for utility deregulation is largely being set by state-level decisions."