Press Release

Congressman Barton Adds Leadership to Ensure Public Power Consumers Are Not Stung by Anti-Competitive Tax Restrictions in a Competitive Market

     "Add Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) to a growing number in Congress who believe that public power consumers must be included in a competitive market without being stung by anti-competitive tax restrictions," declared T. Graham Edwards, Chair of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC). Barton recently unveiled a discussion draft electric restructuring bill that appears to be headed for a September markup.

     Edwards, also president and CEO of Santee Cooper, praised provisions that fix outdated tax regulations. "The private use relief provisions of this discussion draft would ensure that public power consumers are not walled off from choosing their electricity supplier, and will not be forced to pay higher rates in a competitive market. I am hopeful that this bipartisan solution, initially advanced by Congressmen J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) and Robert Matsui (D-CA), and adopted by Congressmen Steve Largent (R-OK) and Ed Markey (D-MA), has gathered the momentum needed to secure a place in any major restructuring bill considered by the U.S. House of Representatives."

     Edwards went on to applaud Congressman Barton and his staff for providing a meaningful process for hearing input on restructuring. "While we haven’t had the chance to review the entire bill, we praise Congressman Barton’s continual efforts to seek our input on this and other restructuring issues. We will be rolling up our sleeves to assist the House Commerce Committee in crafting the best possible legislation for all electricity consumers."

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The Large Public Power Council (LPPC) is an association of the nation's 21 largest public power utilities. It serves millions of customers in some of the largest and fastest-growing areas of the country and counts some of America's biggest corporations among its clients.  T. Graham Edwards is president and CEO of Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state-owned electric and water utility.