FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeanne K. Clark
May
22, 1998 412/421-6072
Pittsburgh, May 22 – “Today’s announcement by
Governor Ridge that he is firing Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC)
member John Hanger – who just yesterday led the PUC in their unanimous vote to
finally give Western Pennsylvania consumers relief from their out-of-control
electric bills – is a blow to the fight for safe, clean and affordable
electricity in Pennsylvania, “ said David Hughes, Executive Director of Citizen
Power.
“Commissioner Hanger has been the one strong voice
for consumers on the PUC. He is
Independent. He is persuasive. He recognizes that consumers must be protected
from rapacious utilities. Through his
leadership, he has been able to move Pennsylvania towards real electric competition
with real choices for consumers.
“But the job is only half done. Pennsylvania has yet to move to true
competition, and most of the rules are not yet in place. And we fear that removing Hanger will result
in a system that gives corporate welfare to the utilities and kills competition
and choice for customers.
“To add insult (to the voters) to injury, Governor
Ridge is replacing Hanger with Aaron Wilson, Jr. – a man with a track record of
supporting Philadelphia’s mega electric utility, PECO, in its fight to force
customers to fork over huge mandated surcharges to cover the Company’s bad
investments. We fear Wilson will fail
to serve the public with the independence that is the model of public service
exemplified by John Hanger. We fear
that this appointment is yet another example of Governor Ridge’s propensity to
place the corporate fox to guard the taxpayer-funded chicken coop.
“We also note that the cynical behavior Tom Ridge is
displaying in this nomination – praising Mr. Wilson, yet announcing his
nomination at a time least likely to be noticed (Friday afternoon of Memorial
Day Weekend, as far away from his November appointment with voters as possible)
– shows that Ridge knows this is the wrong thing to do.
“Wee urge the Pennsylvania State Senate to agree
that this appointment is wrong, and demand the reappointment of John
Hanger. The voters – not the utilities
– deserve an advocate on the Public Utility Commission, “ concluded Hughes.
Citizen Power is a Western Pennsylvania public
policy, research, education and advocacy group that fights for consumers and
the environment through education and litigation. Since the legislature’s middle-of-the-night passage of the 1996
Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act, Citizen Power
has represented the rights of consumers to lower rates and clean, safe
power. Citizen Power was an officially
designated Public Interest Intervenor in the DQE/AYE cases before the PUC, and
is the only Western Pennsylvania organization working full-time on this issue.
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