Alaska State Legislature
Committee Meeting Notice

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

Electric Utility Restructuring Committee Meets Tuesday

Committee to Hear Public Testimony

For Immediate Release: August 17, 1998 Contact: Representative Norman Rokeberg at (907) 258-8191.

Anchorage -- Senator Bert Sharp (R-Fairbanks) and Representative Norman Rokeberg (R-Anchorage) will co-chair the second of four meetings Tuesday, August 18^th of the Alaska Legislature’s Joint Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring. The meeting will be held in the second floor conference room at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office (LIO) located at 716 4^th Avenue from noon to 5:00 p.m.

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 Representative Rokeberg, the outcome of this issue could greatly impact Alaskans’ electrical bills.

"We want to encourage and invite members of the public, businesses and organizations to share their concerns and opinions at our upcoming Tuesday meeting," said Rokeberg. "Because partial deregulation of the electrical industry will influence competition, consumer choice, and the sale of retail electricity, it is important we receive public input."

In their first meeting, 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.

Senator Sharp noted that the following two meetings are designed to give Alaskans the opportunity to speak out. Sharp said based on the feedback we receive from the electrical industry and electrical consumers, we will prepare a roadmap to help legislators next session provide the best results for all Alaskans.

A third meeting open for public testimony is scheduled in Fairbanks in mid-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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Note: The August 18^th meeting will be teleconferenced to the following LIO’s: Juneau, Kodiak, Kenai, Fairbanks and the Mat-Su.