State Rep. Ritter files bill to keep Entergy Texas regulated, avoid higher rates
By DAN WALLACH
Beaumont Enterprise
State Rep. Allan B. Ritter filed a bill in the Texas House today that would keep Entergy Texas as a fully regulated utility, delaying an expensive move to the in-state electric grid, and keeping its customers from paying the kind of higher rates that are affecting customers in open-retail markets.
“Competition is not happening,” Ritter said, referring to the experience of the rest of the state. “Unregulated monopolies are still doing most of the business,” he said. “While we think competition might develop and might work, we don’t think it is right now,” he said. Ritter is a Nederland Democrat. His bill, House Bill 2818, has a companion on the Senate side, Senate Bill 1878, filed by state Sen. Tommy Williams, a Republican from The Woodlands. Ritter said the rest of the local legislative delegation has signed on to the bill.
Entergy Texas officials have estimated that connected to the in-state grid that makes retail open access a possibility would cost about $1 billion. Entergy Texas ratepayers al-ready are paying about $1.06 per month in their bills for earlier transition-to-competition costs incurred by the utility, which was required by the Public Utility Commission. That effort was suspended because Entergy was unable to unravel the regulatory tangle caused by multiple state jurisdictions that ultimately blocked retail providers from entering the Southeast Texas market. Ritter said the bill was referred to the House Regulated Industries Committee and should be considered soon.