Sacramento, California -- A consumer group outraged at spiraling electric bills wants to put a ballot initiative before voters that would reverse the 1996 law deregulating California's power industry.
An advocacy group unveiled plans Tuesday for a statewide initiative that would limit how much profit electricity suppliers can make, require them to refund to consumers part of what they earned this year and essentially re-regulate the energy markets.
If California lawmakers don't re-regulate electric rates and create a new statewide public power system, both issues will go to the voters in a 2002 ballot initiative, one consumer group vowed Tuesday.
Sacramento -- Raising the stakes in the debate over skyrocketing energy prices, a leading consumer advocate proposed a ballot initiative yesterday to scrap California's deregulated electricity market and transform it into a state-run system.
SACRAMENTO, Calif._A consumer group vowed Tuesday to pursue an initiative that would re-regulate the electric utility industry if state lawmakers fail to take strong action in coming months to protect consumers.
ENERGY: GROUP PLANS 2002 MEASURE-- ALLOWING A STATE TAKEOVER--UNLESS THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR ACT FIRST
Los Angeles Times
A consumer advocacy group announced a proposed ballot initiative Tuesday that would allow a takeover of the multibillion-dollar electricity industry in California by the state government.
A consumer group, outraged at spiraling electric bills, is crafting a ballot initiative to let the public run California's flawed electricity system unless politicians protect ratepayers from price spikes.
LOS ANGELES -(Dow Jones)- A California consumer group submitted a draft ballot initiative to the governor and state legislature Tuesday calling for a publicly owned and controlled electricity system.
POWER: EDISON'S PROPOSAL TO PUC WOULD BOOST THE CUSTOMER'S COST BY 9.9% AND ASKS FOR AN EARLY END TO THE FREEZE
Los Angeles Times
Southern California Edison is increasing the pressure on state regulators to allow it to pass high wholesale electricity rates on to customers through an initial rate hike of nearly 10% plus new authority to set its own rates--a combination that could mea
LOS ANGELES -- Southern California Edison said yesterday that in a filing next Wednesday it would "hammer home" to federal regulators its belief that there was manipulation of California's electricity market this summer. Wednesday is the deadline for
GOVERNOR ALSO ASKS FEDERAL REGULATORS TO GIVE REFUNDS TO CALIFORNIA CONSUMERS WHO FELT THE IMPACT OF DEREGULATION THIS SUMMER WITH HIGH BILLS
Los Angeles Times
Gov. Gray Davis warned federal energy regulators Tuesday of a "ratepayer revolt" unless they order refunds and immediate price controls to keep bills from skyrocketing under California's newly deregulated electricity market.
Five months after California's experiment with deregulation sent electricity prices soaring, state policy-makers haven't come anywhere close to a consensus on how to solve the problem.
Issue will remain unsettled until next year when a new agreement is reached and flaws in deregulation are fixed
Los Angeles Times
The $6-billion wrecking ball that is waiting to slam either California consumers or the utility industry is back in the control of state officials after a federal commission this week failed to even address the problem.
Federal Panel Says Electricity Crisis Is Product Of Flaws In Deregulation, But It Stops Short Of Ordering Reductions In Sky-High Prices
Los Angeles Times
California's electricity crisis is the product of flaws in the deregulated market and a long-term shortage of power in the state, federal regulators said Wednesday, proposing sweeping changes to fix the $ 23-billion electricity trade.
However, consumer groups dismissed these moves as a ``whitewash.'' They lashed out at the commission for not ordering ratepayer refunds despite regulators concluding that California electricity costs are ``unjust and unreasonable.''
