Letter: Get word out on power deregulation

Monday, Jan. 10, 2000 | 9:10 a.m.

In November, Gov. Kenny Guinn requested the input of all three members of the Public Utilities Commission regarding the feasibility of the March 1 date to open competition. Since assuming my post in December, I have also provided the governor's office my assessment with that regard. The governor has only kept the commission's feet to the fire in the sense that his office, rather than make a premature judgment about this matter, has continued to monitor the situation to see if there should be a delay in opening the market. The commission's staff, Consumer Advocate Fred Schmidt, the electric utilities and other parties should have the opportunity to see what they are able to work out in the meantime.

It is not Guinn, but my fellow commissioner, Judy Sheldrew, who remains inflexible regarding the date and the framework of the new deregulated market. In fairness, it is only natural that Sheldrew has developed some strong opinions about a subject that she has been investigating since 1995. Additionally, one must say that she has in that time fostered some great work by the parties to electric restructuring.

Your editorial correctly identifies these matters as too important to be decided by partisan politics. I agree. However, it really should not matter whether a temporary or permanent commissioner provides the commission's third vote. Our permanent commissioners who are eligible to vote should not be splitting 1-1 on these matters anyway. Rather, these two commissioners should work on deregulation with a spirit of cooperation until, using all the options available under Nevada law, they have it right. Then the whole commission can vote 3-0 on what is before them. If that takes us past March 1, so be it.

RICHARD M. MCINTIRE Public Utilities Commission member