Although the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed legislation on electricity restructuring on June 21, it addressed only the reliability of the electric grid. This is a far cry from the comprehensive bill (S.2098) sponsored by committee Chair Frank Murkowski (R-AK), despite support for comprehensive utility restructuring from US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, President Bill Clinton, and BOMA International’s coalition Americans for Affordable Electricity. The reason for the legislation’s narrow focus stemmed from disagreement on several key issues by Chair Murkowski and panel’s ranking democrat, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). In BOMA International’s opinion, the “hope of passing comprehensive deregulation legislation wanes, as the 106th Congress ends.”
Based on a report from BOMA’s Potomac Currents
