[BOBTHENAILER]

There have been numerous Federal investigations into manipulation and price gouging, all to no avail...no smoking gun. The situation was an improperly deregulateed market caught in a supply/demand squeeze. Little supply, big demand = high prices in a sellers market.

Collapsed prices of natural gas have temporarily eased that problem. If the economy turns around, power plant building remains stalled or slowed, no north to south power distribution network get completed, you're looking at another winter 2000 situation.

IMHO complete deregulation would go a long way to alleviate that situation; wholesale users as well as individual. NE markets around PA did not see the same price spike precisely because they were totally deregulated.

[Henchster]

"IMHO complete deregulation would go a long way to alleviate that situation; wholesale users as well as individual. NE markets around PA did not see the same price spike precisely because they were totally deregulated. "

BINGO! The problem wasn't DE-regulation, it was MIS-regulation. The bozos allowed the wholesale prices to go up, but the retail prices remained fixed. Guess what? Californians AREN'T as stupid as everyone thinks. They sucked up that cheap power like a cold beer in August. Couple that with the lack of power GENERATING stations here in Cal, and you have a market waiting to implode.

True deregulation would solve the problem in a month or two.

[DoughtyOne]

I agree with the portion of your comments addressing deregulation. If you're going that route, you must totally deregulate. Half measures contributed to a portion of California's problems, perhaps more than we suspect.