The Texas State Senate News

Senate Members Discuss Electric Utility Restructuring in Amarillo

AMARILLO-The Senate Interim Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring held a public hearing Friday, December 12, in the Amarillo Botanical Gardens Auditorium. Committee members include Senators David Sibley of Waco as chair, David Cain of Dallas, Teel Bivins of Amarillo, Ken Armbrister of Victoria, Jane Nelson of Flower Mound, Troy Fraser of Horseshoe Bay, Steve Ogden of Bryan and Gonzalo Barrientos of Austin. The committee is examining the Public Utility Regulatory Act and related statutes to create a competitive Texas electric market, open to all retail customers.

In addition to public testimony, the committee heard from two panels of invited testimony. The first panel, 'Market Power and Structure of Retail Market', included Steve Schaeffer of Houston Industries; Bob Reilley of Enron Corporation; Bob Bryant of Golden Spread Electric Cooperative; Suzi Ray McClellan, the Texas Public Utility Counsel; Judy Walsh of the Texas Public Utility Commission; and Stephanie Kroger of the Texas Coalition for Competitive Electricity. The second panel, 'Transmission and Distribution System; and Metering, Billing, and Collection', consisted of Tom Baker of Texas Utilities, Jim Collins of LG&E Energy Marketing, Brad Belk of LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority),Chris King of Cellnet Data Systems, Arthur von Rosenberg of the Texas Public Power Association, and Pat Wood, chair of the Texas Public Utilities Commission.

The committee will present its final report in the Fall of 1998 with recommendations to the 76th Legislature which will convene in January of 1999.

###