Lawmakers Weigh Deregulation Of Electric Utility Markets

Lawmakers on the Joint Standing Committee on Energy and Public Works met Monday in Pipestem Resort State Park for interim meetings. They weighed the pros and cons of regulated electric utility markets.

Arnie Quinn of  power generation company Vistra Corp told legislators that West Virginia’s energy prices have increased at one of the fastest rates in the country. This happened while only increasing energy generation by a fraction of deregulated neighbors like Pennsylvania.

“A very surgical change that would allow, but not require, commercial and industrial customers to have the choice of what retail supplier serves them can lower costs for those customers, give them access to a lower price, allow them to compete on an even footing with their competitors in states around West Virginia, and allow new businesses to have a choice as they decide whether to enter West Virginia,” Quinn said.

But Brad Viatore of Power for Tomorrow, a pro-regulation organization, says on the issue of electricity, everybody thinks the grass is greener on the other side.

“I’d tell you to think long and hard before you make any of those rash decisions,” Viatore said. “As a practical matter, everybody’s pissed off about what they got, and everybody’s prices are going up.”

Viatore advised that the legislature should  focus on attracting new investment and controlling costs.