Alaska State Legislature
News From The Senate and House Majorities

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary, (907) 258-8184
Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary, (907) 258-8164
716 West 4th Avenue, Suite 510
Anchorage, AK 99501
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality Line: 1-800-478-6540

Media Advisory

Electric Utility Restructuring Committee Studies Implementation In Alaska

For Immediate Release: August 6, 1998 Contact: Representative Norman Rokeberg at (907) 258-8191.

Anchorage -- Senator Bert Sharp (R-Fairbanks) and Representative Norman Rokeberg (R-Anchorage) co-chaired the first of four meetings Thursday of the Alaska Legislature’s Joint Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring. The committee’s charge is to formulate written recommendations for the next Legislature on whether and how to implement electric utility restructuring in Alaska.

According to Rokeberg, this issue could impact everyone’s electrical bill. "Competition, consumer choice, sale of retail electricity, and other issues are being debated as the partial deregulation of the electrical industry is reviewed by the Legislature," said Rokeberg.

"We will study what works and what doesn’t work regarding deregulation and make sure the end result provides the best results for individual Alaska consumers," said Sharp.

The committee heard testimony from invited participants, including the Alaska Public Utilities Commission, Anchorage Municipal Light and Power, Chugach Electric Association, Golden Valley Electric Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Matanuska Electric Association, Alaska Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Aurora Power and a representative from Four Dam Pools.

The committee will take public testimony in a second meeting scheduled August 18, 1998, at the Anchorage LIO. A third meeting will be held in Fairbanks in September and a fourth meeting will be held in November.

In addition to Sharp and Rokeberg, committee members include Senators Robin Taylor (R-Wrangell), Al Adams (D-Kotzebue), and Loren Leman (R-Anchorage) and Representatives Alan Austerman (R-Kodiak), Fred Dyson (R-Eagle River), and John Davies (D-Fairbanks).

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Broadcast Note: Radio Actualities are available from Senator Sharp and Representative Rokeberg on the House and Senate broadcast line at 800/478-6540.
 = Norman Rokeberg, 60 K = Bert Sharp, 38 K