Legislators want to keep electric prices from jumping during deregulation

Legislators hope to ensure Iowans’ electric bills don’t go through the roof when the industry is de-regulated. A bill which would allow competition in the electric utility industry — just like in telephone service — is pending at the statehouse. House Republican Leader Christopher Rants says the bill will enforce a temporary freeze on electric rates. Rants says legislators want to allow groups to band together to solicit bids for electricity. He calls it “aggregation.” This bill would allow competition to hold rates down.And Rants says any electric utility will be able to sell their service in Iowa — not just utilities operating in deregulated states.Rants believes competition will help reduce or control electric rates.Rants says some protections will be written in the law to police unscrupulous marketers — something similar to an anti-slamming law which has cracked down on bogus phone companies. Rants made his comments during taping of the Iowa Public Television program, “Iowa Press.”