FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2005	(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV	TDD (202) 514-1888

FEDERAL INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON COMPETITION IN ELECTRIC ENERGY MARKETS REQUESTS PUBLIC COMMENTS CONCERNING STUDY MANDATED IN ENERGY POLICY ACT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal interagency task force requests comments from the public pertinent to a study of competition in wholesale and retail electric energy markets required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The task force, comprised of representatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Agriculture, is to deliver its report to Congress in August 2006.
A notice from the task force requesting public comments appears in today's Federal Register. The notice invites interested parties to respond to questions pertaining to participation in wholesale electricity markets, generation ownership, generation adequacy, transmission investment and regulation, and the transparency and availability of information concerning wholesale electricity markets. The notice also invites responses to questions concerning experiences with retail choice, retail service providers, demand-side participation, and the impacts of changing fuel prices on retail markets.

The task force will draw upon these responses to prepare a report that will analyze and report to Congress on the critical elements for effective wholesale and retail competition, the status of each element, impediments to realizing each element, and suggestions for overcoming these impediments.

The members of the task force are:

•	Michael Bardee, Associate General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;

•	J. Bruce McDonald, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice;

•	Karen Larsen, Office of Assistant Administrator, Electric Programs, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture;

•	David Meyer, Deputy Director, Division of Permitting, Siting, and Analysis, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy; and

•	Michael Wroblewski, Assistant General Counsel for Policy Studies, Federal Trade Commission.

The notice will also be posted on the websites of the participating agencies. The website address for the Department of Justice is http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2005/212145.htm.

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