Privatizing the electric industry would be an unseemly act 1

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--> --> Privatizing the electric industry would be an unseemly act The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Shame will never slow the corporate high-flyers who want to wring huge sums of money from America's electricity users. Surely, though, the federal government ought to yell, "Stop." Despite the continuing robbery of Western ratepayers, the push to privatize the nation's electrical service marches forward. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is leading the charge for further deregulation. But Republican and Democratic senators from the West last week began to demand answers about FERC's plans for a huge new step in its attempts to create a more market-based electrical system. ... Many states view the proposal as a tremendous erosion of their ability to protect consumers from unjustifiably high electric prices. The commission's plan also carries a complexity that reminds some utility experts of the unwieldy rules California had in place when energy crisis struck the West with catastrophic rate increases last year. ... FERC and the Justice Department have started investigations into the activities of Enron and other energy-trading companies during the 2000-2001 crisis. But those investigations are only in progress. ... Just months after Congress and the Bush administration united in their group hug of corporate reform, it would be unseemly - or worse - for them to move forward with the energy privatization agenda promoted by the poster child of corporate abuse, Enron. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing