To argue that providing individual customer choice is enough to satisfy public objectives is to assume that individual choice is the same as societal choice. The very nature of market failure assures us that this is not the case. Rader's comments were a response to a 1995 poll by municipally-owned Salem Electric in Oregon, whose customers were asked whether they would be willing to pay higher electricity rates for renewable power. Salem Electric is accepting bids from consultants to assist the utility in acquiring renewables. DSM programs which reduce sales are the least likely to survive the transition to price-based competition, because of their adverse impacts on a utility's revenue stream.
Local economies have nothing to lose, and everything to gain from energy efficiency.
The U.S. Dept of Energy estimates that a dollar spent on energy efficiency generates 57 cents more in local economic activity than a dollar spent on electricity. Developing green communities is a difficult process requiring substantial work. But the value and sustainability of this opportunity is clearly being recognized by environmentalists who are willing to work at the local level.