As with any major deregulatory effort, the sheer size and complexity of the electricity overhaul defies quick agreement in Congress. But the restructuring push is also running afoul of partisan politics, intraparty committee jockeying, and tension between Bliley and some of the industry's biggest stakeholders. A key sticking point is Barton's resistance to giving the federal Energy Regulatory Commission jurisdiction over states to cut off holdings of utility companies that threaten to monopolize deregulated markets. The White House, among others, wants this federal authority, while Barton holds that states can police the industry themselves. I'm very confident that it will be a strong bipartisan vote when it comes to a vote.
Democrats are skeptical.
The minority is not convinced of the need for federal legislation at this point. Another complication has been a public struggle between Barton and Bliley. The Virginia chairman supports a more muscular national role and has not ruled out rewriting his subcommittee head's work, even while pressing him to move faster. We want to deliver a healthy baby to the full Committee, not a barely-breathing, desiccated husk of a bill. Because internal House Republican term limits on chairmen will likely push Bliley out after 2000, those companies are content to run out the clock until a new Congress forms, they said.