Central Maine Power Co. has agreed to allow other providers of wholesale electric power to bid for the right to supply energy to the utility for resale to utility customers who enjoy special discounted rate contracts.

It would carry out its agreement if and when the state of Maine should decide to open its retail electric market to competition.

The utility's promise to allow competitive suppliers to bid the special-rate contract load paved the way for the Maine Public Service Commission to approve new multi-year contracts offered by the utility to two large customers.

The Nevada Public Service Commission has issued a policy statement on recovery of "past costs" incurred by electric utilities in the state, asking for comments in its ongoing investigation of restructuring in the electric industry.

In the policy statement, the commission proposes to set up a "rebuttable presumption" favoring full recovery of all costs maintained on the books by Nevada utilities.

Two states have decided to review the high cost of gas this past winter and the effect the price hike has had on the states' gas utilities.

Florida. While granting requested rate relief on an "expedited basis" to Florida Public Utilities Co., the Florida Public Service Commission said it would conduct a prudence review of the purchased gas costs during its next scheduled PGA audit proceeding.

Sound bites from state and federal regulators.

Pole Attachment Rates. Michigan PSC adopts new costing method to set utility pole attachment rates, aimed at developing competition in telecommunications services and discouraging investment in duplicate facilities by new market entrants. It cautions that changes in markets or regulatory environment might prompt a reconsideration. Case Nos. U-10741 et al., Feb. 11, 1997 (Mich.P.S.C.).

Internet Tariff Posting. New York PSC authorizes New York State Electric and Gas Corp.

Nine Southwestern electric utilities are investigating the feasibility of establishing a regional independent system operator.

The Desert Southeastern Transmission and Reliability Operator (Desert STAR) would be the name of the new ISO. Initial members would include: Arizona Electric Power Co-op; Arizona Public Service Co., El Paso Electric Co., Nevada Power Co., Public Service Co. of New Mexico, Salt River Project, Texas-New Mexico Power Co., Tucson Electric Power Co., and the Western Area Power Administration's Desert Southwest Region.

The U.S.

In an unprecedented act of unity, all 52 members of the California Congressional Delegation have written to the U.S.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently gave final approval to a two-year experiment to track electricity as it travels over transmission lines (Docket No. ER97-697-000).

The experimental program, approved March 25, finalizes work proposed by a group of seven companies working independently on the General Agreement on Parallel Paths (GAPP). Other GAPP members had chosen to disband the formal GAPP committee in 1995.

The program calls for information on transmission paths to be made available electronically to all participants.

California's three largest investor-owned electric utilities have submitted their proposals to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for implementing an independent system operator and power exchange for the state's restructured electric industry (Docket Nos. EC96-19-001 and ER96-1663-001).

Last November, the FERC had conditionally approved an "acceptable framework" submitted by Pacific Gas & Electric Co., San Diego Gas & Electric Co., and Southern California Edison (the trustee for the ISO and PX is S.

Favoring a uniform federal mandate, but also a drawn-out transition period to let the industry "prepare" itself, Sen. Dale Bumpers (D-Ark.) has recently introduced federal legislation on electric industry restructuring with the admonition that new laws should assure benefits to residential consumers (em not just the large-load customers.

Bumpers, ranking Democrat, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, on April 7 addressed the American Gas Association's Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington, D.C., on electric restructuring, talking about his introduction of S.