By: Al Wicklund
MONROE — The township’s effort to bring cheaper electricity to its residents is being stalled by the state Legislature’s busy schedule and upcoming summer break.
Bills in both the state Senate and Assembly to require utility companies to give municipalities, such as Monroe Township, addresses of residential customers had not moved out of committee this week.
Without the addresses, local government is unable to contact all of its residents eligible about the formation of an energy-buying pools. Under deregulation legislation, municipalities are allowed to form the pools and seek an energy provider willing to supply the group energy at a reduced rate.
Walt Sodie, a member of state Sen. Peter Inverso’s staff, said that with the Legislature’s traditional summer break expected to start at the end of June, there isn’t much time to get a bill out of committee and to a vote.
Mr. Sodie said Sen. Inverso’s bill to make addresses of customers accessible to municipalities had a hearing before the senate Economic Growth, Agriculture and Tourism Committee May 4, but there’s been no indication so far from legislative leaders when or if the bill will move.
With many bills, including the 2000-2001 state budget, being readied for votes in the state Assembly and Senate during the rush before the summer break, it’s impossible to predict which bills will go before the two houses of the Legislature, he said.
“We will do everything we can,” Mr. Sodie said.
Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (D-14th District) said Monday the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act, designed to enable utility customers to seek lower prices for energy in a competitive-market situation, won’t work without municipalities’ having access to addresses.
The deregulation law as it currently stands prohibits utility companies from releasing the addresses of their customers. Monroe Township appealed to the Board of Public Utilities, the state agency that regulates utilities, for the release of addresses. The township contended it needed the information to determine the number and names of its resident customers since the township’s tax lists have only the names of owners of property and has no information about the many tenants.
Under deregulation legislation, municipalities are required to notify energy customers of the formation of an energy-buying pool.
The BPU upheld the withholding of addresses by the utilities because the legislation also contains a clause forbidding utilities companies from releasing the information.
Ms. Greenstein, who is one of the sponsors of an Assembly bill to modify this part of the law, said she has not seen any encouraging signs that the bill is going to move.
“But, we’re not going to give up. We’ll do everything we possibly can to get some action on this” she said.
