These companies are spending millions to protect their bottom lines but what's good for their shareholders may not be good for the public. Depending on how Congress writes the new law, consumers may see their monthly electric bills rise or fall. They may or may not suffer from increased air pollution, and may or may not see a new class of corporate monopolies take over the electricity market. But some utilities, energy marketing firms, and natural gas companies want deregulation so they can sell electricity directly to consumers anywhere in the country. Large industrial power users, seeking lower prices, also back deregulation.
Executives working for companies with a stake in electricity deregulation are often generous.
For example, one of the lead corporate cheerleaders for deregulation is Enron, a Texas-based natural gas company. DeLay is the lead sponsor of an electricity deregulation bill. In his 1994 race, Schaefer did not collect any money at all from energy power company executives. This figure is conservative the Center included only those expenses incurred by companies that also gave campaign contributions and listed electricity deregulation as one of their issues. Lobby data itself also has limitations, due to loopholes in the law.