LIPA

Traditional utility regulation has been unable to prevent the electric rates of some utilities from rising far above those of neighboring companies. Two factors are responsible for this failure. First, regulators lack the means to keep seemingly reasonable but unnecessary costs from creeping into rates. Second, ratemaking considers a utility's costs in isolation and does not use peer benchmarks to true up rates.

Political pressure helped limit rate increases for nuclear plants during the 1980s.

The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) plans to acquire the Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO), to help reduce LILCO's high electric rates and improve Long Island's economy. To that end, LIPA has formed a public/private partnership with a private utility company that will provide extensive management services for LILCO. The utility partner has agreed to invest $100 million in the acquisition, contingent upon Gov. Pataki's approval. LIPA would create a subsidiary to acquire LILCO using tax-exempt bonds.