FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeanne Clark
May
28, 1998 412/421-6072
Citizen Power Demands Public Be
Heard on PUC Nominee;
Ridge, Senate Republicans Plan to
Evade Hearings,
Waive Rules for Immediate Vote
Pittsburgh, May 28--David
Hughes, Executive Director of Citizen Power, Inc. today denounced plans by
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and Senator Clarence Bell (R) to ram through
Ridge's nomination of Aaron Wilson to the Public Utility Commission (PUC) with
no opportunity for public input or debate.
"Something stinks about
this whole process," said Hughes.
"Everything is being rushed through. The Administration is attempting to prevent any opportunity for the citizens to be
heard. First, Ridge — on his way out of
the country so he couldn't be challenged — announced the nomination of Wilson
at the beginning of a long holiday weekend.
This guaranteed that there would be little or no public awareness of the
nomination. Now we hear that the
Republican leadership intends to waive the rules requiring thoughtful
consideration of nominees and vote immediately, bypassing the voters
altogether.
"Clearly, with this mad
rush to confirm the Wilson nomination, the Governor is trying to pull a fast
one," continued Hughes. “Could it be that Ridge wants to reverse
recent PUC decisions that, for a change, had some goodies for ratepayers?
"If, as the Governor
has said, the Wilson nomination is intended to put an 'outsider's perspective'
on the PUC, why is Ridge determined to hide the nomination from the real
outsiders — the consumers?”
"This nomination could
turn back the clock on competition, and the right of Pennsylvanians to safe,
clean and affordable electricity. It is
too important to be rushed through without proper scrutiny,” said Hughes.
"We urge citizens
throughout the Commonwealth to call the Governor and their State Senator and
demand that they open up the coverup on this nomination. After all, if Ridge is telling the truth and
really wants the consumers represented on the PUC by this nomination, then he
has nothing to hide," concluded Hughes.
Citizen Power, Inc. 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 and other local organizations have
represented the rights of consumers before the PUC. The officially designated Public Interest Intervenors on the
recent Duquesne Light and Allegheny Energy restructuring and merger cases
include Citizen Power, the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), Mon-Valley
Unemployed Committee, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action,
Alliance for Progressive Action, Just Harvest, Pennsylvania Public Interest
Group (PennPIRG) and Citizens' Organizations on Utility Policies (COUP).
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