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H.R. 3406, The Electric Supply and Transmission Act of 2001
Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
Prepared Statement of The Honorable Billy Tauzin I
would like to begin by thanking Chairman Barton for his long and hard work
crafting the Electric Supply and Transmission Act, which is the focus of our
hearing today. Joe has been working tirelessly to produce such comprehensive
electricity legislation throughout his chairmanship, and even before then.
His determination has been instrumental in advancing the debate to where
we are today, and he is to be commended. Until
recently, electricity was taken for granted.
We assumed when we flipped the switch the light would come on.
The shortages in California and the West, however, demonstrated that we
can no longer afford to neglect our Nation's electricity policy.
In
a few weeks, we begin the year 2002. It will have been 10 years-a
decade-since Congress last enacted major electricity legislation, the Energy
Policy Act of 1992. In that time
we've seen competitive electricity markets struggle to take hold.
We've also seen more clearly the vital connection between our
nation's economy and a clean, affordable, and reliable electricity
supply-and we've come to recognize what is necessary to update our
electricity system for future economic growth.
It
is time Congress address this issue again. When we passed comprehensive national energy policy
legislation earlier this year, we said we would be adding electricity at a later
time. That time is near. As
a Nation, we can't rely on the FERC, alone, to do this for us.
They may think they can do it all, and want to do it all, but there is
only so much they can do. We as
Congress need to give them guidance and the tools they need to keep protecting
American rate-payers for the next 10 years and beyond.
But
FERC can help us determine what to do. That
is why I am very interested in our FERC Commissioners' comments on the bill
today. I am also interested in
their explanations for recent Commission activity; in what exactly they are
trying to accomplish, and at what cost. I welcome Chairman Wood and Commissioners Breathitt, Massey, and Brownell back to the Subcommittee. I would also like to welcome Deputy Energy Secretary Frank Blake back before us. As always we appreciate his and the Administration's views on these issues. And I welcome TVA Chairman McCullough to the Subcommittee, and I look forward to hearing his and the other witnesses' testimony.
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