The Heritage Foundation's recently released report, which finds that national electric deregulation would benefit consumers through lower electric rates, better service and more jobs, has the endorsement of a key policymaker.
If Congress passes a bill to deregulate electric markets, the average consumer's monthly electric bill could fall by as much as $30, according to the report, Energizing America: A Blueprint for Deregulating The Electricity Market, written by Adam D. Thierer.
The report has been endorsed by House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas J. Bliley (R-Va.), who commended the study as further proof that allowing consumers to choose their electric provider will be beneficial. Bliley pointed out that Thierer's study confirms earlier ones by Clemson University economists commissioned by Citizens for a Sound Economy, and a report issued earlier in January by the Brookings Institution and George Mason University.
The report is the first of a series on electric deregulation, and presents a specific plan for Congress to follow to ensure creation of a free market in electricity. The plan includes privatizing the Power Marketing Administrations and Tennessee Valley Authority, closing the Rural Utilities Service and establishing a timetable for abolishing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Department of Energy. (em LB
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