San Francisco city attorney to sue state's power generators

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San Francisco city attorney to sue state's power generators Filed: 01/18/2001

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A day after rolling blackouts cut power to San Francisco, the city attorney plans to sue the companies that produce California's electricity, officials said Wednesday.

The suit accuses power generators of artificially manipulating supplies to keep prices high, said Marc Slavin, deputy city attorney.

Details of the lawsuit are expected to be announced by City Attorney Louise Renne at a news conference Thursday.

The blackouts were partially caused by high wholesale power prices and generators' reluctance to sell power to utilities which increasingly can't afford to pay the high price of power.

Wholesale power prices have risen dramatically since June. In 1999, prices averaged about 3.5 cents per kilowatt, compared to about 30 cents a kilowatt now.

The state will likely be in a Stage 3 alert all day Thursday, with reserves approaching or falling below 1.5 percent. More rolling blackouts also are possible.

http://www.bakersfield.com/oil/Story/277189p-258712c.html

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), January 18, 2001


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