MINUTES
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ELECTRIC UTILITY RESTRUCTURING
Monday, February 8, 1999
9:30 am
Senate Chamber
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Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule
11.11, a public hearing of the Senate Special Committee on
Electric Utility Restructuring was held on Monday, February 8,
1999 in the Senate Chamber at Austin, Texas.
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MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT:
Senator David Sibley, Chairman Senator Gonzalo
Barrientos
Senator David Cain, Vice Chairman
Senator Kenneth Armbrister
Senator Teel Bivins
Senator Troy Fraser
Senator Jane Nelson
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The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:40 am. There
being a quorum present, the following business was transacted.
Chairman Sibley advised that the first invited witness would
be Pat Wood, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission, and
invited other Commissioners present to join Chairman Wood at
the witness table. Commissioner Perlman joined Chairman Wood
but did not testify.
At 9:45 a.m. Senator Cain assumed the Chair. Pat Wood spoke
to the members concerning non-ERCOT areas of Texas, an issue
relating to SB 7 pending in Committee. Chairman Wood
responded to members' questions and concerns.
Following Pat Wood's testimony, the Chairman called the
Investor Owned Utilities (IOU) panel to testify. The
panelists were:
Kent Foster, Entergy, Little Rock, Arkansas
David Wilks, Southwestern Public Service, Amarillo, Texas
Mark Roberson, Central and South West, Dallas, Texas
At 12:15 pm, Senator Sibley resumed the Chair and the
panelists continued their testimony. Upon completion of the
IOU panel's testimony and response to members' questions,
Chairman Sibley recessed the hearing at 12:35 p.m. until 30
minutes after adjournment of the Senate.
At 2:30 p.m., Chairman Sibley reconvened the hearing and
called a panel of Cooperatives (Co-op) and Municipally Owned
Utilities (MOU) representatives to testify and respond to
members' questions and concerns.
The panelists were:
Robert Bryant, Golden Spread Electric Cooperative,
Amarillo, Texas
Robert Gross, East Texas Cooperatives, Marietta, Georgia
Alex Ty Cooke, City of Lubbock, Lubbock, Texas
There being no further business, at 3:35 pm Senator Sibley
moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of
the Chairman. Without objection, it was so ordered.
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Senator David Sibley, Chairman
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Barbara Henderson, Clerk