[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7874]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC POWER

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, on April 24, 2001, I voted to report S. 
206, legislation which would repeal the Public Utility Holding Company 
Act, out of the Senate Banking Committee. I did so with strong 
reservations. I have been one of the strongest supporters of public 
power during my service in Congress. Public power has been extremely 
beneficial for my State. Without the initiative and determination of 
the municipal utilities and the rural cooperatives in the early part of 
this century, South Dakota and the neighboring states would not have 
received electricity as soon as they did. Since then, these entities 
have provided South Dakota with reliable electricity and energy 
services.
  In addition, I have had a long record of support for public power. 
This includes authoring an amendment during committee consideration in 
the House of Representatives that helped stop the sale of the public 
power administrations that House Republicans attempted to sell in 1995. 
Moreover, I have worked closely with the rural electric coops, 
municipal owned utilities and rural telephone coops on a number of 
issues. Recently, I was graciously given an award from the South Dakota 
Rural Electric Cooperatives and the Congressional Leadership Award from 
the National Telephone Cooperative Association in recognition of the 
work we have done together.
  I have concerns about S. 206 and am not committed to voting for it on 
the floor. I believe that more needs to be done to ensure that 
sustainable, competitive markets are in place that will keep prices 
affordable and that will discourage undue concentration. I pledge to 
work with all parties on this effort so that any legislation that is 
considered will be fair to public power and its concerns.

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