Re-regulation Bill In California Rejected

On Wednesday I mentioned the committee rejection of California AB 428, which I claim reflected a continued control and manage mindset in California regarding electriicty markets.

Today we hear that the re-regulation bill, SB 888, failed to pass a Senate utility committee vote:

“I don’t want to repeat what happened in ’96 when a lot of legislators rushed into something and now regret what happened,” said Assemblyman Manny Diaz, D-San Jose. “I just want to make sure we do it right.” …

The measure, SB 888, is opposed by energy producers and a long list of commercial energy users. Written by Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Santa Ana, the bill did not receive a single vote in support from the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. …

Dunn’s bill would give investor-owned utility companies the option of buying power from third-party generators or generating some or all their power needs themselves.

Dunn’s measure did not attempt to deal with the controversial issue of whether industries should be able to shop around for an energy provider, also called “direct access.”

The defeat of both bills creates an opportunity to construct a more adaptable and resilient foundation for the introduction of competition into California’s energy markets.