Boo-hoo for Texas electric utilities

Hey, TXU, Reliant, et al, especially among the first two of you big boys.

You wanted electric dereg? Fine, deal with the consequences.

Including utility hoppers.

Of course, I can’t really say “boo-hoo,” because you pass the costs on to people like me.

That said, our “beloved” Texas Lege was stupid enough to deregulate electricity without covering all the bases:

But electricity providers are hampered by state rules that prohibit the creation of a statewide database showing customers’ payment histories. If there were one, providers could see which customers are big risks. … It’s up to the Legislature to fix this loophole and put an end to energy hoppers.

There’s more of that GOP genius on energy issues at work.

Of course, since state law prohibits both denial of electric service or even rate differentials based on credit history, there’s little utilities could do even if they had a state database, right?

Ahh, schadenfreude.