Fortnightly Magazine - October 1 1998

Consumer Choice in Natural Gas: A Hard Look at Savings

TO DATE, RETAIL NATURAL GAS UNBUNDLING HAS proven to be only marginally successful. In political terms, state legislators and utility commissioners can point to significant progress in passing initiatives to mandate local utility unbundling. Many utilities have developed and won approval of new rate structures that enable small industrial, commercial and even residential customers to purchase natural gas from non-utility suppliers.

Byline: 
Porter Bennett
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Consumer Choice in Electricity: A Critical Appraisal

FOR YEARS NOW ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHETHER RETAIL electric competition would benefit consumers and would serve the public interest have raged. Often saying there is little to be gained from competition and many dangers, powerful voices have urged opposition to competition or a glacial schedule for implementation of customers choice.

The Pennsylvania electric restructuring cases, however, should help end the arguments about the benefits of retail electric competition.

Byline: 
John Hanger
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