The chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas recently said that family farms and home and business electricity consumers in this region are likely to be better off when the area's now-monopoly electric suppliers are subjected to the forces of competition. And there is no reason even this vital commodity called electricity should be any different. Wood said restructuring the electric utility industry in Texas will create downward pressure on prices of electric service. The power of having choice is pretty incredible.
Wood is highly supportive of competition between electric suppliers.
He said the Texas customer choice law, passed in 1999, avoids supply problems such as those seen in California. Texas has about 30 percent more power plant capacity than needed to meet the hottest summer day projected for 2001, the utility commission chairman said. Southwestern Public Service Company, Energas and the Panhandle Producers and Royalty Owners Association also participated in the forum. The forum began with a videotaped presentation about Golden Spread Electric Cooperative. And I just reject that conclusion.