Requiring the filing of a schedule of charges for retail electricity services. Requiring the filing of cost or revenue projections for provision of retail electricity services. Regulation of depreciation charges for facilities used to provide retail electricity services. State regulators would determine whether it was appropriate to apply to distribution or sale of retail electricity services terms and condition to provide universal service, enhance reliability and promote low-income assistance, energy efficiency, conservation and environmental programs, and to provide for retraining of displaced utility employees. Commissions would retain authority to impose on persons or municipalities purchasing retail electricity services a fee to pay for these things.
Transmission is mentioned only to differentiate it from distribution for jurisdictional purposes.
No mention is made of an independent system operator or power exchange. It is left to the states to make decisions about public benefits programs, low-income assistance, energy conservation, environmental protection and other issues covered in detail in other legislation. The bill was greeted without enthusiasm by some high-cost utilities that want to postpone a competitive market until they have paid off their strandable debt and by others, such as municipal utilities and cooperatives who saw their turf threatened. Curiously, it was also panned by a conservative group for ignoring municipals and co-ops.