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Award Winning and Selected Articles |
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A call to action by California union members
Register now at the Internet Action Center to tell FERC - California needs price controls now!
George Bush and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) have given Texas energy corporations a license to steal.
The energy generators have jacked up wholesale prices and pushed at least one California utility into bankruptcy. They’ve looted the state treasury for $75 million every day since January, damaging the state’s credit rating and threatening jobs. Layoffs have begun in high-tech and manufacturing and will soon spread. Every family’s checkbook will be crunched by high energy costs.
But the crisis has other costs, too. The state
has spent more than $6 billion in 6 months to keep the lights on. Investments
in education, transportation, housing, healthcare and essential services
are in jeopardy. School children won’t get high-tech classrooms if
the crisis is not solved. Commuters will spend more time in traffic and
less time at home or on the job. First-time homebuyers won’t find
affordable housing. Senior citizens and nursing home residents won’t
get the care they need.
Californians have shown we can conserve power and we're committed to building
new energy plants. But increased conservation and capacity won’t
solve the problem of price gouging by out-of-state energy generators.
We’ve got to stop their rolling blackmail.
Tell FERC: price controls now!
In November 2000, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that a dozen companies had manipulated California’s market and should refund $124 million in excess profits. But FERC has refused to enforce federal law requiring just and reasonable costs.
The Bush Administration has put corporations and wealthy contributors before people. Enron CEO Kenneth Lay took home more than $140 million last year and donated $100,000 to the Bush inauguration party. Enron executives raised $1 million for the Republican Party, and allowed Candidate Bush to fly around the country in its private jet.
Lay and Enron are not alone. They’re part of a small cartel, a “domestic OPEC” of energy corporations that has doubled profits and executive pay by ripping off California ratepayers and taxpayers. Duke, Reliant and Dynegy are selling energy for 50 to 60 times as much as they did a year ago.
FERC has the authority to impose cost-controls and stabilize our energy markets. Wholesale price controls, in addition to California’s conservation and generation campaign, will get us beyond this crisis. The Bush Administration must act, and act quickly.
California’s two million
union members call on President Bush and FERC to take action now, and
stop rolling blackmail.
Join us at actions around the state, beginning Wednesday, June 6 in
Oakland.
Stop rolling blackmail!
Rally & March from the Federal Building, 1301 Clay St. at 4pm
Info: (510) 532-4242 or (415) 986-3585 x 231.
Actions in Fresno, Huntington Beach, San Jose, San Diego and Los Angeles
are being planned.
A campaign kit has been mailed to member unions. For more information,
visit www.workingcalifornia.org
Sharon Cornu, Communications Director
CALIFORNIA LABOR FEDERATION, AFL-CIO
www.workingcalifornia.org