Group Accuses PUC of Meeting Secretly on Electricity Revamp

A major consumer group has accused California regulators of violating the state’s open-meeting laws by deliberating in secret on plans to open electricity markets to competition.

Members of the California Public Utilities Commission denied the charges, which were made this week in a letter and public comment from Audrie Krause, executive director of Toward Utility Rate Normalization, at the commission’s biweekly meeting.

Last month, the commission indefinitely delayed action on its proposal to restructure California’s electricity industry. The proposal to open the state’s markets to competition are part of an effort by the commission to lower California electric rates, which are 40% to 50% above national averages.

In a brief statement issued at the time, the commission cited the need for “further analysis and reflection” before making the decision.

Krause said: “The PUC is keeping the public in the dark about one of the most important policy decisions of the decade. We have a right to know what goes on behind PUC’s closed doors.”

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