The Houston Chronicle published this op-ed (online and in print) by Suzanne Bertin, managing director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA) highlighting the positive impact of energy market deregulation 20 years ago and important considerations as the Texas legislature and PUCT consider policy to build on this success and meet customers' evolving needs. See excerpts below and the entire Houston Chronicle piece here:
It’s been 20 years since Texas gave electricity customers the power to choose.
In 1999, when I was as a staffer at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), the Legislature passed Senate Bill 7 — landmark bipartisan legislation that restructured Texas’ electricity markets, in part by injecting competition into the system.
Two legacies resulted from SB 7. Texas became an unquestioned leader in clean, advanced energy, just as it is in every other form of energy; and in much of the state, customers became able to choose their electricity provider and related services, such as demand response and energy efficiency.
These legacies illuminate the energy path that Texas needs to take to remain the nation’s energy leader. Technological advances are making clean energy cheaper and easier to produce and making the state’s power supply more reliable in the process. The state should embrace this transition, using the competitive market strategies and policies that have served us well for a generation…
See the complete Houston Chronicle piece here.