California Revises "Blue Book" Schedule

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has issued an interim decision on restructuring the California electric industry (R.94-04-031). The decision calls for the CPUC to propose a policy decision for comment on March 22, 1995, and to adopt a policy decision 60 days later. That policy decision would then become effective in September 1995. To that end, the interim decision establishes a working group to examine how existing social, economic, and environmental programs would hold up under the range of proposed restructuring models. To date, the CPUC has generalized the proposals into three models:

Wholesale and retail reform with retail wheeling; CPUC would not guide development of market mechanisms and price revelation tools

Wholesale and retail reform with a mandatory pool for all purchasers to transact business; includes the ability to enter into financial "contracts for differences" outside the pool

Wholesale reform with a mandatory pool through which all utilities transact business; retail customers purchase from present provider.