MINUTES
SENATE INTERIM COMMITTEE ON ELECTRIC UTILITY RESTRUCTURING
Wednesday, February 4, 1998
9:00 am
Senate Chamber
*****
Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Interim Committee on
Electric Utility Restructuring was held on Wednesday, February
4, 1998 in the Senate Chamber at Austin, Texas.
*****
MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator David Sibley, Chairman None
Senator Kenneth Armbrister
Senator Gonzalo Barrientos
Senator Teel Bivins
Senator David Cain
Senator Troy Fraser
Senator Jane Nelson
*****
Chairman Sibley called the meeting to order at 9:15 am. There
being a quorum present, the following business was transacted.
The Chairman advised that the Committee would focus first on
customer protection and called the invited panel to address
this issue. The panelists were:
Barbara Alexander, Consumer Affairs Consultant
Suzi McClellan, Office of Public Utility Counsel
David Mintz, Texas Coalition for Competitive Electricity
Bob Reilley, Enron Corporation
Tom Baker, Association of Electric Companies of Texas
Janee Briesemeister, Consumers Union
Upon completion of the panelists' presentations and response
to members' questions, Chairman Sibley called the second panel
to address environmental and renewable energy issues. These
panelists were:
Jeffrey A. Saitas, Office of Air Quality, Texas Natural
Resource Conservation Commission
John Hoffner, Texas Renewable Energy Industries
Association
Tom "Smitty" Smith, Public Citizen's Texas Office
Ed Feith, Association of Electric Companies of Texas
Karl Rabago, Environmental Defense Fund
Randy Eminger, Center for Energy and Economic Development
Jane Pulaski, State Energy Conservation Office
At 12:40 p.m. Senator Armbrister assumed the Chair, and at
1:00 p.m., Senator Sibley resumed the Chair.
Following the second panelists' testimony and response to
members' questions, Chairman Sibley advised that public
testimony would commence. Due to the number of public
witnesses registering to speak, the Chairman moved that each
person limit testimony to three minutes; without objection, it
was so ordered. Chairman Sibley then called the first
witness. All witnesses, including panelists, are listed in
order of their testimony.
Barbara Harwood, representing herself, Carrollton, Texas
Ron Purpora, representing American Lung Association of
Texas, Austin, Texas
Susan Pitman, representing American Lung Association of
Texas, Austin, Texas
Roland Duty, representing himself, Waco, Texas
Mary Duty, representing Children's Advocacy Center, Waco,
Texas
The next witness, Johnette Hicks, representing Equal
Opportunity Action Committee, Waco, Texas, submitted a
petition Supporting Universal Electricity Service. The
petition was circulated by Texas Association of Community
Action Agencies and requested that all Texas households have
affordable electricity; and that all utilities should offer a
special low-income rate for customers living in poverty, a
low-income weatherization program, and other programs to help
low-income customers prevent termination of electricity
service. Public testimony then resumed.
Boyce Vardiman, representing himself, West, Texas
Bruce Allen, representing himself, Waco, Texas
W. F. Barrett, representing himself, Valley Mills, Texas
Randall Chapman, representing himself, Austin, Texas
At 3:25 p.m. Senator Barrientos assumed the Chair, and at 3:45
p.m. Senator Sibley resumed the Chair while public testimony
continued.
James Fitzpatrick, representing American Association of
Retired Persons, Austin, Texas
Alan Rose, representing JC Penney Company & Texas
Retailers Association, Dallas, Texas
Jerome Vacek, representing consumers, Corsicana, Texas
Carol Biedrzycki, representing Texas Ratepayers
Organization to Save Energy, Austin, Texas
Karen Swenson, representing low income households,
Nacogdoches, Texas
Peter Altman, representing the SEED Coalition, Austin,
Texas
Dwayne Anderson, representing Clean Water Action, Austin,
Texas
Robert King, representing National Association of Energy
Service Companies, Austin, Texas
Chris Strand, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Ju Vega, representing Sheltering Arms Senior Services,
Houston, Texas
Marjorie Wood, representing herself, Abilene, Texas
Bob Manning, representing HEB Grocery Company, San
Antonio, Texas
Brooks Hickerson, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Chairman Sibley commended the next witness, Kirtley Wienbroer,
representing Students for Earth Awareness at UT, Austin,
Texas, for keeping his testimony under three minutes. Public
testimony then resumed as follows:
Bill Medaille, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Tommy Benavides, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Kim Phillips, representing herself and the Texas PTA,
Austin, Texas
Karin Ascot, representing herself, Austin, Texas
Mike Sloan, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Todd Cypert, representing himself, Meadow, Texas
Michael Aaron, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Dr. Bob Farmer, representing himself, Gatesville, Texas
Nancy Lockhoof, representing herself, Austin, Texas
C. C. Bowman, representing himself, Marshall, Texas
Tim Curtis, representing himself, Dale, Texas
The following persons registered to testify but were unable to
remain at the hearing until they were called:
Herb Williams, representing Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission, Austin, Texas
Bill Tilney, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Leonard McLaughlin, representing himself and Lost Creek
MUD, Austin, Texas
Frank Arredondo, representing Texas Association of
Community Action Agencies, San
Marcos, Texas
Karen Heikkala, representing herself, Austin, Texas
J. D. Porter, representing himself, Austin, Texas
Enrique Valdivia, representing himself, San Antonio,
Texas
Tara Tune, representing Public Citizens members, Austin,
Texas
Tom Romberg, representing Texas Air Conditioning
Contractors Association, Austin, Texas
Kevern Joyce, representing TNP Enterprises and Texas New
Mexico Power Company, Fort
Worth, Texas
The following persons registered but did not wish to testify:
Adan Martinez, representing Texas General Land Office,
Austin, Texas
Richard Walker, representing Central & South West Corp. &
AECT, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Robert L. Wright, representing Texas Energy Coordination
Council & Union Carbide,
Victoria, Texas
Jim Walker, representing himself as a member of the
Sustainable Building Coalition,
Austin, Texas
Dr. Yvonne M. Hansen, representing herself, Austin, Texas
There being no further business, at 5:50 pm Chairman Sibley
moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of
the Chair. Without objection, it was so ordered.
__________________________
Senator David Sibley, Chairman
__________________________
Barbara Henderson, Clerk