Veteran energy lawyer and regulator Jim Cawley discusses his experience as a utility regulator in Pennsylvania, first under the old regulated utility monopoly model and then again later, after the state restructured its retail electricity market to promote competition. He talks about how the state's market-based approach to utility regulation has saved consumers countless dollars and helped promote cleaner generation resources. Nevertheless, he recently wrote an op-ed published on PennLive.com, the Harrisburg Patriot-News website, calling for Pennsylvania policy makers to adopt the Texas model for a restructured retail electricity market, in which the utility is relegated to its core distribution and transmission businesses and largely quarantined from providing electricity to customers. He insists such reform is a prerequisite if we are to successfully transition to a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2035, as called for by the Biden administration.
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