News Stories

Former Pennsylvania PUC Commissioners Powelson, Cawley, and Thomas wrote a Joint Op-ed.  slamming electric utility PPL’s proposal to turn back wholesale and retail competition in the state by allowing utilities to own generation again.  

Excerpt from the article:

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‘Success story’
The bottom line is that competitive power markets have been an enormous success story in Pennsylvania, and there is no reason for regulators and policymakers to jeopardize that success. Are there challenges ahead? Definitely. However, Pennsylvania’s competitive power markets have proved to be remarkably resilient and beneficial for all consumers. They have endured recessions, polar vortexes, inflation, high and low interest rates, pandemics, and natural disasters. All while delivering data-verified value to consumers through low rates, unprecedented investment, and remarkable emissions reductions. Pennsylvania’s competitive market structure is more than capable of getting the Commonwealth through the challenges ahead.

But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to PPL’s CEO, who less than five years ago said, “PPL Electric Utilities customers have benefited greatly from the restructuring of the markets since 1996, by paying rates that have consistently been below the national average. Additionally, restructuring no longer requires customers to bear the risk of a generation plant’s success or failure. That risk was rightfully placed on the backs of investors.”

{***} Left unexamined and unchecked, PPL’s approach is one of self-interest and assumes that consumers will be used as shields to fund its power generation venture and subsequent profits. Its proposal is a dramatic departure from the provisions of the 1996 Competition Act which has provided huge benefits to retail customers across the commonwealth – an Act that PPL championed for decades. {***}

Joint Op-ed.