Execs share views on nation's pause toward deregulation

摘要

In a move that several prominent industry members assert is temporary, the nation as a whole is pausing to rethink its headlong rush into electric deregulation. Congress has postponed discussion on a major national electric deregulation bill until February. A congressional review of the collapse of Enron has apparently pushed H.R. 3406, out of the limelight for the time being, some representatives have said. However, one of the bill's proponents, Rep. Joe Barton, said it's only the holidays that temporarily delayed the measure. Barton said he was confident the bill already had enough votes to pass. A group of panelists, speaking at a POWER-GEN International 2001 Mega-Session Dec. 13 in Las Vegas, agreed that retail competition may be in retreat, but will surge forward again within a few years' time. The members of the panel in "Retail Competition: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" included Julie Blunden, vice president of Xenergy Inc., Peter Esposito, senior vice president and regulatory counsel for Dynegy Inc., Sam Jones, executive vice president and COO of ERCOT, Steven Schleimer, director of energy services for Calpine Corp.'s Western Region and Bob Dickerman, president of Sempra Energy Solutions.