Fwd: US House panel sets April hearings on Calif crisis ,
 FYI.  May want to cover.

Jim

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	"Ronald Carroll" <rcarroll@bracepatt.com>
	03/29/2001 08:58 AM
		 
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		 Subject: Fwd: US House panel sets April hearings on Calif crisis


----- Message from "Tracey Bradley" <tbradley@bracepatt.com> on Wed, 28 Mar 
2001 17:14:17 -0600 -----
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Subject:	US House panel sets April hearings on Calif crisis
FYI

US House panel sets April hearings on Calif crisis 

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     WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. House Government Reform 
Committee said Wednesday it would hold three field hearings in California 
next month on the economic fallout from the state's chronic electricity 
shortages. 

     The hearings will take place on April 10 in Sacramento, April 11 in San 
Jose, and April 12 in San Diego. 

     California, which has struggled to keep the lights on since last autumn, 
is widely expected to face blackouts during the peak power demand months of 
the summer. On Tuesday, state regulators approved an average 40 percent 
increase in consumer electricity rates to cover the soaring cost of energy 
and pump more cash into the state's near-bankrupt utilities. 

     "The energy crisis in California has ramifications for the entire 
country, and it looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better," 
Rep. Dan Burton, an Indiana Republican who heads the panel, said in a 
statement. 

     "The problems are costing California's economy billions of dollars, and 
that's going to affect the economy of the entire country," he added. 

     The committee will hear testimony from power generators, utilities, 
government entities, and local organizations. 

     Neighboring states have complained that California's thirst for power 
has boosted wholesale electricity prices throughout the western region, 
forcing some energy-intensive businesses like paper mills and mines to 
temporarily close. 

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Copyright , 2001 Reuters Limited.
paul.kaufman@enron.com, jeff.dasovich@enron.com, sandra.mccubbin@enron.com, 