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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 Joe Barton Today,
the Subcommittee starts two days of legislative hearings on comprehensive
electricity legislation, H.R.3406. This
bill will most likely be the subject of a subcommittee markup next week, if the
Congress is still in. Today
and tomorrow, I ask witnesses to be forthright and specific when talking about
the bill. Keep in mind that this
legislation is an attempt at a balance between stakeholders and Members, and few
compromise bills are universally loved. The Members of this Subcommittee, on both sides of the aisle, have spent a great deal of time reviewing electricity markets this year and in years previous. Major lessons we learn again and again are part of the bill before us today:
First,
we welcome a very distinguished panel of Federal witnesses.
Deputy Secretary Frank Blake is back before us today, and I welcome you.
Thank you for your past work with this Subcommittee on Price-Anderson and
your previous testimony about electricity restructuring.
Next,
we welcome back the four confirmed commissioners of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC). I
look forward to when you come back with a full slate of Commissioners.
I commend the President's great decision when he announced the intent
to nominate Joe Kelliher to FERC. But
back to the four of you. Led by my
good friend, Chairman Wood, it appears you four have been quite busy lately.
I expect you will be receiving many questions from Members today.
I, for one, ask you to address recent actions and statements on Regional
Transmission Organizations (RTOs), market-based rates in connection with RTOs,
the market power screen test , the suitability of transcos in an RTO future, and
whatever else we might be hearing about soon. Chairman
McCullough of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is also here today. Welcome, and thanks for your help in forging agreement,
within the valley, among TVA, its distributors, as well as large and small
customers. Tomorrow,
we will welcome the Securities and Exchange Commission on PUHCA and a regulator
from the State of Arkansas. Following
that, we will have our usual wide table of industry participants and observers. I
want to thank Chairman Tauzin of the full committee, Ranking Member Boucher of
the subcommittee, and Ranking Member Dingell of the full committee for their
help in scheduling these hearings and implementing a fair and open process. I thank all Subcommittee Members for the attention they have
given to these issues. After
this hearing, it will be time to work on changes to the bill.
I ask Members to prepare suggestions in legislative form for discussion
and, if not accepted, for offering as an amendment during markup.
I will be preparing a manager's substitute amendment incorporating some
of the changes discussed today. As I look out to the audience and to both sides up here, I see lots of people who have been nice. Not too many have been naughty, at least not all of the time. While I have no songs for you, I do hear from Santa that one of the packages under the tree is a model kit for a pretty little electricity bill. My parents wouldn't let me open my presents early, but if we do our homework we just may get to open it next week. I can't imagine a more legislatively-satisfying holiday season.
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