FYI

gngr
713-853-7751
----- Forwarded by Ginger Dernehl/NA/Enron on 05/23/2001 11:57 AM -----

	Lora Sullivan
	05/23/2001 11:38 AM
		 
		 To: Linda Robertson/NA/Enron@ENRON
		 cc: Steven J Kean/NA/Enron@Enron, Richard Shapiro/NA/Enron@Enron, Mark 
Palmer/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Eric Thode/Corp/Enron@ENRON, Cindy 
Derecskey/Corp/Enron@Enron, Ginger Dernehl/NA/Enron@Enron, Maureen 
McVicker/NA/Enron@Enron
		 Subject: ACORN press release

This was sent to me today by a person who asks to remain anonymous.
It appears this press release is being routed to members of the  press:
Lora

******************************************************************************
*****


ACORN Launches Campaign to Win Changes from  Enron

Contact: Lisa Clauson at MaAcorn@Acorn.org or (617) 436-7100  (office), (617)
233-5497 (cel.), or David Swanson at (202)  547-2500.

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform  Now, has
launched a nationwide campaign to persuade the nation's largest  energy
supplier, the Houston-based Enron corporation, to put some of its  enormous
record profits into assistance for low-income Americans who cannot  afford
their skyrocketing utilities bills.

The campaign was launched  with demonstrations in eight cities on May 21.? In
Washington D.C., 100  ACORN members from D.C., Philadelphia, and Baltimore,
protested at an Enron  office and demanded a meeting to discuss their
concerns.?  Representatives of ACORN and Enron met on May 22 to open  the
discussion.

"We told them our campaign was just getting started,  and they could expect
the pressure to build if they decline to work with us  on a solution in the
near future.? Summer is almost here, and elderly  people and children without
fans and air-conditioning are going to be in  danger," said Kathy Tomosky, an
ACORN member from Philadelphia.

While  ACORN has been pushing local governments to do their part, and has
worked to  increase funding for LIHEAP (the Low-Income Home-Energy Assistance
Program),  its members believe wholesalers, which are making huge profits as
others face  crises, also have a responsibility to act.

Other Demonstrations on Monday  Included:
In Sacramento, 250 ACORN members from around California protested  at the
offices of Enron's lobbying company, Governmental Associates.?  They also
protested at the Capitol, demanding a meeting with Gov. Gray Davis  to
discuss the need for a moratorium on shut-offs and the need for lower  rates
for low- and moderate-income people.

In Portland, ACORN members  took over the 17th-floor office of Enron/Portland
General Electric and staged  a sit-in, until they won a commitment to a
meeting with PGE's CEO.

In  Chicago, 70 ACORN members marched into the 36th-floor office of Enron.
They  persuaded the staff to fax a letter to Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay  (see
below), and arranged to schedule a meeting with Enron in  Chicago.

ACORN members also took over the lobby of Enron's headquarters  in Houston,
and demonstrated at Enron offices in Manhattan, Denver, and  Albuquerque.

THE CASE AGAINST ENRON
Energy wholesalers, like Enron,  and their top executives, are raking in
outrageous record profits, while  millions of Americans are facing bills that
have doubled and tripled, putting  many at risk of losing their electricity
and at risk of losing their lives  during this summer's heat spells.? During
heat spells in previous years,  hundreds of children and elderly people
without fans or air conditioning have  perished.

The Bush energy plan does nothing to address the immediate  crisis of this
summer - a crisis that will literally be a question of life  and death for
tens of thousands of small children and the elderly.?  Senior citizens on
fixed incomes and hard workers fighting to support  families on low wages
will face hot days without the electricity to run a  fan, cook food, or
refrigerate milk for the kids.? Inflated energy bills  are effectively
reducing the standard of living for millions of Americans to  pre-World War
II levels in a world less adapted to life without power.?  Price gouging by
wholesalers and inaction by the White House could condemn  thousands of
people to a painful death.? Bush's devotion to corporate  profits will
apparently not give way even in the face of these real tragedies  looming
over so many of our grandparents and grandchildren.

Five years  ago 700 people died in Chicago during a two-week heat spell.?  
subsequent examination of the dead by the Chicago Tribune found that  almost
all were lower income seniors or young kids who did not have  air
conditioning and who were trying to save on their electric bills by  not
running their fans at night. Many were without power.

Enron, the  nation's biggest energy supplier, saw its profits increase 42
percent in  2000.? Its revenue more than doubled to $100.8 billion from only
$40  billion in 1999, an increase of 152 percent.? The vast majority of  Enron
's business involves buying electricity from power plants and selling  it at
a markup to local utility companies.

While millions of Americans  are facing choices between utilities and food,
between utilities and health  insurance, between utilities and childcare,
Enron executives aren't feeling  the pinch.? Enron's Chairman, Kenneth Lay
received a $7 million bonus as  reward for an "extremely strong year."? Lay's
salary last year gave him  another $1.3 million.? He also collected $7.5
million in restricted  stock awards, plus options for 782,830 shares that
could be valued at $35  million if Enron's stock appreciated 10 percent
annually.

Families now  struggling to pay their bills are available to comment.
Contact Chris Saffert  at (202) 547-2500.

Lay is living like a king while inflicting suffering  on others, and our
government is aiding and abetting this behavior.? The  Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission has refused to act to make energy  affordable for
residential users. Texas, the home of George Bush, is also  home to the
largest energy suppliers in the country, including Enron.?  Enron executives
and employees contributed more than $500,000 to Bush's  campaigns for
governor and president. About $350,000 came from Lay, who was  one of the
Bush "Pioneers" who raised at least $100,000 for the presidential  campaign.
Lay also gave Bush use of Enron's private jet during the  presidential race.
For the inaugural festivities, Lay, Enron Chief Executive  Jeff Skilling, and
the corporation itself, each contributed the maximum  $100,000.

Does this perhaps explain Bush's reluctance to do anything to  help
California consumers?? Enron sold natural gas and electric power  in
California last year.? According to a study by the California  Independent
System Operator, Enron earned excess profits of $28 million by  exercising
market power.? Enron is being sued for violating the City of  San Francisco's
unfair business practices law.? Santa Clara County has  joined a lawsuit
against power suppliers including Enron, alleging they  conspired to raise
prices and boost profits while subjecting consumers to  higher bills and
blackouts.

ACORN's Demands:
ACORN demands a  nationwide moratorium on utility shutoffs this summer for
the elderly and  families with children -- to be funded with an excess profit
tax on wholesale  energy suppliers.

ACORN demands national price caps on utility costs for  residential use.

ACORN demands that Enron use some of its vast profits  for an expanded energy
assistance program, help leverage federal government  funding for energy
assistance, and assist in the creation of a conservation  program that will
supply low-income consumers with home audits,  energy-efficient appliances,
and other energy-saving steps.

LETTER  THAT HAS BEEN FAXED:

Kenneth Lay, Chair
Enron Corporation
1400  Smith Street
Houston, TX 77002

May 21, 2001

Dear Mr.  Lay:

We write to request a meeting to discuss the sky high fuel costs  that are
posing a huge and unmanageable burden for low and moderate income  people
across the country. We believe that you, along with the other major  power
suppliers across the country, especially those which have enjoyed  windfall
profits as our budgets have been stretched to the breaking point,  have a
real responsibility to make sure that our families do not have to  continue
to make such difficult choices between fuel and food or medicine. We  want to
talk with you about what we can do together to ease this  burden.

Enron has been making windfall profits selling power, and  thereby
contributing to the suffering of our members and other community  residents
from record high utility bills that threaten families ability to  meet our
basic needs.? ACORN demands that Enron take real steps to help  solve the
problems that they have helped create.

1. We need to end  skyrocketing utility bills which leave us totally unable
to make ends meet,  and threaten vulnerable people with air-conditioning and
refrigeration shut  offs in the dangerous summer heat.? Enron must respond to
the immediate  crisis by contributing 2% of their profits, or $250 million to
a fuel  emergency fund to provide assistance to low and moderate income
consumers,  and especially the elderly, children,? and people with health
problems,  in paying their utility bills.? A limited portion of the funds
should be  dedicated to outreach to sign up eligible participants.

2. We need to  help people reduce costs in the long terms by making their
homes more energy  efficient.? Enron must? provide funds to support
comprehensive  residential conservation efforts in both owner occupied and
rental  properties.? Such efforts would include home audits to determine  what
was needed, along with the provision and installation of  appropriate
technology including power saving refrigerators, improved  insulation and
sealing of doors, windows, and pipes, etc,

3. We need  basic access, affordability, and fair rates for the future.

Enron  must? :
- Support ACORN's demand for a moratorium on shut offs to  vulnerable
populations including households with elderly people, young  children, and
people with health problems
- Support ACORN's efforts to win  a comprehensive and government supported
program to cap utility payments for  low and moderate income customers at a
limited percentage of income
-  Support price caps on wholesale electricity sales such as those proposed
in  the Feinstein Smith bill.
- Join ACORN in requesting a meeting between ACORN  and Vice President Dick
Cheney to discuss energy costs.

As you may  know, ACORN is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots
organization of low  and moderate income people, with more than 125,000
member families across the  country. Over the years, we have been extremely
active on issues relating to  utilities, and in recent months our members in
cities from Chicago to  Philadelphia to St Louis and Seattle have been
fighting to protect our  members and our communities from utility shut-offs,
and for payment  assistance plans to help pay utility bills.

We would appreciate a  response today on a date and time for a meeting
between yourself and other  appropriate senior personnel, and a team of our
senior leaders, within the  next two weeks.? You can contact me through our
campaign director, Lisa  Clauson at 617-436-7100.

Sincerely,
Maude Hurd
ACORN National  President

Contact: Lisa Clauson at MaAcorn@Acorn.org or (617) 436-7100  (office), (617)
233-5497 (cel.), or David Swanson at (202)  547-2500.


ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for  Reform Now, is the
nation's largest community organization of low- and  moderate-income
families, with over 100,000 member families organized into  500 neighborhood
chapters in 40 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN  has taken action
and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our  priorities
include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants,  living wages
for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from  banks and
governments, and better public schools. We achieve these goals by  building
community organizations that have the power to win changes --  through direct
action, negotiation, legislation, and voter  participation.? ACORN's website
is at http://www.acorn.org.? To subscribe to  ACORN's Email list send an
Email with only the words "subscribe acornupdates"  in the body of the
message to majordomo@Acorn.org.




David  Swanson, communications coordinator
ACORN, the Association of Community  Organizations for Reform Now
739 8th Street SE
Washington, DC  20003
(202) 547-2500 p
(202) 546-2483 f
acornnews@acorn.org
www.acorn.org
To subscribe to ACORN's Email  list send an Email with only the words
"subscribe acornupdates" in the body  of the message to majordomo@Acorn.org.