Texas RR Commission chair Williams good for a laugh

From the “I get newspaper e-mails” division …

Michael Williams, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission and the Governor’s Competitiveness Council, is clueless, disingenuous or something.

In November 2007, Gov. Rick Perry created the Governor’s Competitiveness Council. … As chairman of that dynamic group, I had the pleasure of reporting our findings to Gov. Perry at the Competitiveness Council Summit on Aug. 6.

As a starting point, we discussed the current strength of the Texas economy, which can be credited in large part to our business-friendly economic climate. This climate has drawn a large number of new companies and encouraged existing Texas companies to expand. As a result, Texas continues to lead the country in job creation while nationwide unemployment has risen. …

In conjunction with this report, the council also drafted the Texas 2008 State Energy Plan. Without significant reforms in how we acquire and generate energy, especially electricity, Texas will be incapable of succeeding in any of the previously identified industry clusters.

Energy costs have increased, requiring Texans to dedicate larger percentages of our income to keep the lights on, drive to work and to run our stores and factories. It, therefore, becomes critical that Texas formulate an energy policy that keeps the lights on, keeps energy rates competitive, and continues to draw business to Texas.

While the document proposes more searches for alternative/renewable energy, it also touts clean coal and offshore drilling.

That’s bad enough.

The glaring problem is it refuses to address deregulated electricity rates, which will surely promote an anti-business view of Texas, if companies who move here have employees getting summer sticker shock, as this story indicates.

“The high bills in Texas demonstrate what a huge mistake deregulation has been," said Tom “Smitty” Smith, director of the consumer group Public Citizen in Austin and a staunch opponent of the process.

“The Legislature created this monster, and only they can change it, but they won't unless they hear from citizens.”

With Texas having the hottest summer since 1998, at least, and a population that’s grown at least 25 percent since the Legislature passed dereg in 1999, elected officials do need to hear from the public.

That’s contrary to business libertarian bushwah like this:

“These prices aren't about deregulation and the market — it's about natural-gas prices and limiting of other options of producing power like limits on coal and nuclear,” said Bill Peacock, director for the Center for Economic Freedom with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“We will see the benefits in time, and you can't go back on deregulation.”

Would those benefits include electric companies scamming customers?

Betty Garza was incensed last month when she opened up her power bill: a whopping $682, her highest ever, and about half of her monthly house payment.

Garza called her power provider, Stream Energy, and discovered that the rate she had locked in had expired. She said she should have received advanced notice that the lock-in period was ending.

How many other start-up electric companies are doing this to how many other customers?

Meanwhile, Williams and Gov. Helmethair, Rick Perry, apparently still aren ‘t giving up on the Trans Texas Corridor, either. More from Williams:

Even with our current strength, the Council recognized several
significant economic disconnects that will stunt our growth if they are
not closed. They include a transportation infrastructure that is ill-prepared to accommodate our ongoing population growth.

That statement has TTC written all over it.