ACTION ALERT
California Here We Come
Proposals to transfer Wisconsin’s electric generating facilities
into unregulated generation companies (GENCOs) are now pending at
the state’s Public Service Commission and the large utility holding
companies are requesting legislation to make those proposals reality.
Please write Lt. Governor McCallum and your legislators to urge
that they not include in the state budget bill legislation to authorize
GENCOs. Reasons you may wish to give include the following:
*California is NOT the place you want to be. California
deregulated its generation facilities and retail customers this
summer saw a tripling of their electric rates.
*Let Washington decide. The GENCO proposals shift jurisdiction
over the rates the GENCOs could charge to the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission and away from our state’s Public Service Commission.
To date, FERC has not adopted the strong measures necessary to fix
the California mess.
*If you liked Ameritech . . . The state would have no control
over whether the unregulated generating facilities are sold to out-of-state
interests. When Wisconsin deregulated the phone industry, it ended
its control over mergers and acquisitions of its in-state phone
companies. The rest is history.
*Take away our tools and we cannot finish the job. The proposals
hinder solutions to Wisconsin’s market power problems in its electric
industry. Without regulatory control over generation, Wisconsin
could not order divestiture of generating facilities, a remedy that
is necessary according to recent studies by the Public Service Commission
and Customers First!.
*Energy policy is too important for politics as usual. In
the last two sessions, thanks to the governor’s leadership and the
involvement of key legislators, the state has passed electric energy
reforms only after a consensus had emerged. Energy policy is too
important for politics as usual. Urge Governor McCallum not to side
with the large utility holding companies but to have all sides work
together to safeguard Wisconsin’s electric future.
Lt. Governor Scott McCallum
P.O. Box 7863
Madison, WI 53707-7863
wisgov@mail.state.wi.us
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