Are Power Markets Benefiting Customers?

More than a decade has passed since the electric restructuring movement began to reshape the country’s electric industry. When many states allowed electric utilities to restructure and deregulated retail electrical markets it represented a major shift in the relationship between consumers and utilities.

The morning session will host prominent first-hand witnesses from three states that have tested the path to restructuring in a review of the experience of energy customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. Sonny Popowsky the Consumer Advocate for the State of Pennsylvania; Sam Randazzo, General Counsel of Industrial Energy Users – Ohio; and David Kolata, Executive Director of the Illinois Citizens Utility Board will each share their perspective of the impact of utility restructuring.

A second major shift in energy policy in Wisconsin occurred when utilities began participating in the regional power market referred to as the MISO Day 2 market. Are we closer to an understanding of the costs and benefits that the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) regional market brings to Wisconsin? Daniel Ebert, Chair of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, will discuss the challenges and opportunities Wisconsin encounters in the MISO market.

The afternoon session shifts gears and begins with a look at a new hurdle facing wind energy development. Efforts to promote greater use of renewable energy in Wisconsin received a boost when the legislature enacted an increase in the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). John Dunlop of the American Wind Energy Association will update the audience on the status of a federal study of wind energy projects impact on ground radar systems and the interim policies of the FAA that have created an new protracted approval process for wind projects throughout the Midwest.

The day will conclude by opening the discussion up to a notable group of Wisconsin energy stakeholders who will put their ideas on the table in an exploration of priorities for Wisconsin’s energy future.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 3, 2006 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center on the shore of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin.

P.S. - In a change from previous year’s conferences and for greater convenience for attendees, Customers First! is utilizing an online registration process. And, for the first time conference registration payment will be possible using major credit cards. If you prefer, or your organization requires you to pay by check, the online registration process will print an invoice that can be sent along with payment to:

Customers First! Coalition
P.O. Box 54
Madison, WI 53701

If you have any questions about registering for the October 3rd conference, please feel free to call CFC at (608) 286-0784.