Thursday's Internet Edition, December 04, 2008.
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| WRECK- A wreck between a pickup and a motorcycle left a 19-year-old Angleton man seriously injured last Friday morning. The accident occurred just east of Hamilton on Highway 36. The motorcycle driver was taken by EMS to the Hamilton General Hospital and later transferred to Scott and White Hospital in Temple. He reportedly suffered broken ribs and a broken neck, but was expected to be released from the hospital early this week. The driver of the pickup was not injured. Staff Photo |
Organizers had hoped to present an offer to PEP participants by the end of March. However, electric providers either decided not to submit an offer or would not beat the lowest prices already advertised on www.powertochoose.org, a web site operated by the state’s Public Utility Commission that lists retail electricity rates.
The governments of the six participating municipalities organized the program and were supported by the Cities Aggregation Power Project, an organization that for the last six years has been negotiating better electricity prices through bulk purchasing for its member cities to power their own municipal services.
“While this is a frustrating outcome, CAPP remains committed to helping Texas communities and their residents find relief from the high prices frequently charged by power providers,” CAPP's legal counsel Geoffrey Gay said. “The interest shown in this program by the 1,600 households who signed up demonstrates that Texas consumers are tired of paying unreasonable electricity rates.”
A majority of the people who registered for PEP have never negotiated new contracts for electric service since the state’s electricity market deregulated in 2002, program officials said. Meanwhile, retail electricity prices in Texas under the deregulated market have soared more than 57 percent, according to a study by the Institute of Public Utilities at Michigan State University.
PEP organizers are working with city officials in the six participating communities to provide residents with options they can pursue on their own, as well as information on how and whether they should consider switching electricity providers. To receive a copy of this information, please visit the PEP web site at www. peopleselectricityprogram.com or email Bill Funderburk at adm@ci.Hamilton.Tx.us.