{
  "id": "RL32728",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32728",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 307295,
      "date": "2005-08-18",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:34:33.323029",
      "title": "Electric Utility Regulatory Reform: Issues for the 109th Congress",
      "summary": "The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) and the Federal Power Act (FPA)\nwere\nenacted to eliminate unfair practices and other abuses by electricity and gas holding companies by\nrequiring federal control and regulation of interstate public utility holding companies. Prior to\nPUHCA, electricity holding companies were characterized as having excessive consumer rates, high\ndebt-to-equity ratios, and unreliable service. PUHCA remained virtually unchanged for 50 years\nuntil enactment of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. PURPA was, in part, intended\nto augment electric utility generation with more efficiently produced electricity and to provide\nequitable rates to electric consumers. Qualifying facilities (QFs) are exempt from regulation under\nPUHCA and the FPA. \n Electricity regulation was changed again in 1992 with passage of the Energy Policy Act\n(EPACT). The intent of Title 7 of EPACT is to increase competition in the electric generating sector\nby creating new entities, called \"exempt wholesale generators\" (EWGs), that can generate and sell\nelectricity at wholesale without being regulated as utilities under PUHCA. This title also provides\nEWGs with a way to assure transmission of their wholesale power to their purchasers. The effect of\nthis act on the electric supply system has been more far-reaching than PURPA.\n On April 24, 1996, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Orders 888 and\n889. FERC issued these rules to remedy undue discrimination in transmission services in interstate\ncommerce and provide an orderly and fair transition to competitive bulk power markets. Order 2000,\nissued December 20, 1999, established criteria for forming transmission organizations. \n Comprehensive electricity legislation may involve several components. The first is PUHCA\nreform. Some electric utilities want PUHCA changed so they can more easily diversify their assets. \nState regulators have expressed concerns that increased diversification could lead to abuses,\nincluding cross-subsidization. Consumer groups have expressed concern that a repeal of PUHCA\ncould exacerbate market power abuses in a monopolistic industry where true competition does not\nyet exist.\n The second issue is PURPA's requirement that utilities purchase power from QFs. Many\ninvestor-owned utilities support repeal of these mandatory purchase provisions. They argue that their\nstate regulators' \"misguided\" implementation of PURPA has forced them to pay contractually high\nprices for power that they do not need. Opponents of this legislation argue that it would decrease\ncompetition and impede development of renewable energy.\n The third main issue is reliability. Without mandatory and enforceable reliability standards,\nproponents argue that reliability of the electric power system will not be at acceptable levels. \nOpponents say these standards are unnecessary.\n This report will be updated as events warrant.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL32728",
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32728",
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      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc795552/",
      "id": "RL32728_2005Apr21",
      "date": "2005-04-21",
      "retrieved": "2016-01-13T14:26:20",
      "title": "Electric Utility Regulatory Reform: Issues for the 109th Congress",
      "summary": "This report discusses regulation issues affecting electricity today. Comprehensive electricity legislation may involve several components: Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) reform, PURPA's requirement that utilities purchase power from qualifying facilities (QFs), and reliability.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
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          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20050421_RL32728_c16748e681991efaf71729ccb4da39a0a7005554.pdf"
        },
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          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20050421_RL32728_c16748e681991efaf71729ccb4da39a0a7005554.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Energy",
          "name": "Energy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Electricity",
          "name": "Electricity"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Electric utilities",
          "name": "Electric utilities"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Public utilities",
          "name": "Public utilities"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Energy Policy"
  ]
}