[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 27, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H3623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST COAST ELECTRICITY MARKET HAS BEEN ILLEGALLY 
                              MANIPULATED

  (Mr. FILNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, evidence continues to mount that California 
and the west coast electricity market has been illegally manipulated, 
and consumers are entitled to billions of dollars for illegal 
overcharges since last summer.
  We just heard about the need for production. Let me tell my 
colleagues what is happening to plants in California. Last week in 
sworn testimony to the State senate, three employees of the Duke energy 
plant in my district in Chula Vista, California, testified that they 
took the plant out of production for economic reasons. That is to boost 
the price of electricity at times, including the worst emergencies that 
were declared in California. At stage 3 alerts, the generators were 
taken down. They were told to throw away spare parts, so it would take 
longer to correct any problems that did appear. The manipulation of the 
market is clear. The illegal manipulation of the market is clear.
  Mr. Speaker, all my colleagues should sign the discharge petition at 
the well this morning to make sure that we get a vote on restoring 
equanimity to the electrical markets of California, and consumers get 
refunds for illegal prices.

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