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Statement to Congress |
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Alabama Public Service Commission Jim Sullivan, president Jan Cook, commissioner George Wallace, commissioner
Arkansas Public Service Commission Sandra Hochstetter, chair Betty Dickey, commissioner
California Public Utilities Commission Loretta Lynch, chair Carl Wood, commissioner
Colorado Public Utilities Commission Ray Gifford, chair Polly Page, commissioner
Colorado Office of Consumer Counsel Ken Reif, director
Georgia Public Service Commission Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, chair
Idaho Public Utilities Commission Paul Kjellander, president
Kentucky Public Service Commission Martin Huelsmann, chair Gary Gillis, commissioner Robert Spurlin, commissioner
Louisiana Public Service Commission Jay Blossman, chair Irma Muse Dixon, commissioner Jimmy Field, commissioner Dale Sittig, commissioner |
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Mississippi Public Service Commission Michael Callahan, chair Nielsen Cochran, commissioner Dorlos “Bo” Robinson, commissioner
New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid
New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Lynda Lovejoy, chair Herb Hughes, vice chair
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Nancy Brockway, commissioner
North Carolina Utilities Commission Jo Anne Sanford, chair Jim Kerr, commissioner J. Richard Conder, commissioner Robert V. Owens, Jr., commissioner Sam J. Ervin, IV, commissioner Lorinzo L. Joyner, commissioner Michael S. Wilkins, commissioner
Oregon Public Utilities Commission Joan Smith, commissioner
Public Utility Law Project of New York Gerald Norlander, executive director
South Carolina Public Service Commission Mignon L. Clyburn, chair Buddy Atkins, commissioner H. Clay Carruth, Jr., commissioner Randy Mitchell, commissioner Bob Moseley, commissioner William Saunders, commissioner Nick Theodore, commissioner |
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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Jim Burg, chair
Tennessee Regulatory Authority Sara Kyle, chair Pat Miller, director Deborah Taylor Tate, director
Utah Committee of Consumer Services Dee Jay Hammon, chair Kent Bateman, member Betsy Wolf, member Kelly Casaday, member Franz Amussen, member Candace Hammer, member
Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire
Washington Public Utilities District Association Steve Johnson, executive director
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission Marilyn Showalter, chair Dick Hemstad, commissioner Pat Oshie, commissioner
Seattle City Light Gary Zarker, superintendent
Tacoma Public Utilities Mark Crisson, chief executive officer |
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Signatories as of November 18, 2002 |
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Opposing Expansion of FERC’s Authority
Electricity is an essential service that is critically important to our economy and to the citizens and businesses in our states. Over the past decade, changing regulations and failed efforts to deregulate electricity service in some areas of the country have undermined the reliability of electricity service, the ability for utility regulators to ensure that consumers have affordable power, the stability of our electricity rates, and the investment climate for utilities and others to build needed generation and transmission in those regions.
We urge Congress to avoid actions that would further destabilize this critical industry and put consumers at risk. Federal policy should respect the decisions of the majority of states and municipalities, which have chosen not to deregulate electricity service. Those jurisdictions continue to have affordable, reliable electric service. Federal policy should preserve the full ability of states and municipalities to oversee reliable and reasonably priced electricity service to retail customers. Federal policy should protect consumers. The Standard Market Design rules proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) run counter to these objectives.
We urge Congress not to include in the pending Omnibus Energy Bill any provision that expands the authority of the FERC to interfere with the ability of states and municipalities to preserve their chosen electricity service policies. Instead, we urge Congress to clarify that the authority of the FERC does not extend to impairing the ability of state or local government to regulate any component part of a fully bundled retail sale of electricity, or the siting of generation and transmission, that is subject to state or other local government regulation. |
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Alliance of State Leaders Protecting Electricity Consumers |
