A Penn State University professor says a plan to change the way Iowa utilities are regulated is among the best in the nation. Professor Frank Clemente (cluh-men’-tee) has reviewed a bill which awaits action in the legislature. The state’s consumer advocate has criticized the proposal, saying it’ll end up boosting Iowans’ electric costs. Clemente disagrees with the doom and gloom predictions. Clemente says restructuring, or deregulation is helping the American economy grow. Clemente’s analysis was commissioned by the Iowa Community Action Association — a group which works on behalf of low-income Iowans — and by the Electric Consumers’ Alliance, which includes business, government and consumer organizations. The bill reviewed (the Electric Choice and Competition Act) cleared the House Commerce Committee this spring and will be considered by the full House as well as the Senate next year.
