FW: Power Companies Unite to Lobby State

FYI. Who are they hiring as lobbyists?

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: "Samantha Slater" <SSLATER@epsa.org<@ENRON
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2001 8:14 AM
To: bhueter@enron.com; Linnell, Elizabeth; Kingerski, Harry; jmigden@enron.com; jsteffe@enron.com; Robinson, Marchris; Petrochko, Mona L.; Kaufman, Paul; rboston@enron.com; rshapiro@enron.com; snord@enron.com; Montovano, Steve; Landwehr, Susan M.
Subject: Power Companies Unite to Lobby State

Power Companies Unite to Lobby State; They Want to Build Power Plants in Florida But Not Sell Directly to Consumers.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune ( November 01, 2001 )

To increase their lobbying clout, several of the nation's biggest independent power companies have formed a trade group focusing on Florida.

The group, Partnership for Affordable Competitive Energy, will try to
convince lawmakers to open Florida to companies like it that want to build
power plants but not sell the electricity directly to consumers.

Among the founding members are Calpine Corp., Competitive Power
Ventures, Constellation Power, Duke Energy North America, PG&E National Energy Group and Reliant Energy.

The announcement came a day before Gov. Jeb Bush's handpicked
research group, the Energy 2020 Study Commission, was set to discuss its findings with the Legislature and recommend opening the state to so-called merchant power plants.

Florida law prohibits companies from building power plants unless virtually
all of the electricity is for use in Florida.

Merchant power companies, however, make their money by selling power
on the wholesale market to other power suppliers.

Michael Green, Duke Energy vice president and PACE chairman, said a
deregulated Florida wholesale market will lead to lower costs for consumers and more dependable energy supplies.

Investor-owned utilities such as FPL Group and Florida Power Corp.
counter that they make plenty of energy, and prices are already among the nation's lowest.

Environmental groups worry that opening the nation to merchant plants
might set off a spree of plant-building that could damage the environment.
T
he commission endorsed the idea of an open wholesale market last year,
but the idea buckled amid the California energy crisis and under pressure from lobbyists for FPL and Florida Power Corp.

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