FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeanne K. Clark
July
28, 1998 412/421-6072
Pittsburgh, July 28 -- Citizen
Power, the Western Pennsylvania consumer and environmental watchdog group,
today welcomes the decision of the Board of Directors of DQE Inc., parent
company of Duquesne Light Company, to pull the plug on their proposed merger
with Allegheny Energy Inc. of Maryland.
David Hughes, Executive Director of
Citizen Power said, “While the Company’s reasoning differs from ours, we can
all agree that the proposed merger was ill-advised. Duquesne Light’s decision to stop the merger is a good first step
for consumers and competition.
“This merger was about restricting
access to the customers, by locking in control of the area’s transmission lines
under one giant company,” continued Hughes.
“But whether the lines are under the control of one company or two, we
must still protect these arteries of competition. That means the Duquesne Light and Allegheny’s subsidiary West
Penn Power must provide open access to the transmission lines to all electricity
suppliers. The best way to do this is
to turn control of the lines over to an Independent System Operator (ISO).
“We intend, as always, to fight for
real competition, with real choices for consumers. We intend to make sure that the law guaranteeing electricity
competition is observed and enforced.
We will also be monitoring any other merger or acquisition offers made
to Duquesne Light -- to ensure that
competition and the consumers are protected.
And most important, we will be watching the Public Utility Commission to
make sure it does not bow to political pressure, but represents the interests
of all Pennsylvanians, “concluded Hughes.
Citizen Power, a
Pittsburgh-based public policy, research education and advocacy organization,
is an officially designated Public Interest Intervenor in all the Western
Pennsylvania cases on electricity restructuring under the Electric
Generation Customer Choice Competition Act of 1996.
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