Jeff --

Any communications with ElectriCities on virtual direct access?  Maybe another good avenue for ElectriCities to help its members?  Now that direct access is dead in NC, ElectriCities could agree to move new products through their stable channel.

Jim
 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Barnes, Lynnette  
Sent:	Tuesday, August 14, 2001 9:46 AM
To:	Ferris, Frank; Fromer, Howard; Lawner, Leslie; Memari, Tooran; Miller, Terri; Montovano, Steve; Rishe, Frank; Ross, Derrick; Schoen, Mary; Snyder, Brad; Sullivan, Kathleen; Suttabustya, Buranit; Thome, Jennifer; Truxillo, Wayne; Wininger, James; Ader, Jeff; Anderson, Jonathan; Anderson, Meriwether; Bachmeier, Rick; Bernstein, Eitan; Bernstein, Mark; Bertin, Suzanne; Bolton, Stacey; Chan, Stella; Duda, Geoff; Galow, Gary; Hammond, Pearce; Jackson, Robert; Kazibwe, Julia; Keene, Patrick; Kingerski, Harry; Kosnaski, Andrew; Lopez, Yolanda; Meigs, Mark; Ogenyi, Gloria; Steffes, James D.; Boston, Roy; Bray, Peter; Collins, Joan; Hueter, Barbara A.; Landwehr, Susan M.; Lassere, Donald; Migden, Janine; Stroup, Kerry; Covino, Susan; Magruder, Kathleen; Merola, Becky; Reichelderfer, Thomas; Sandherr, Cynthia
Subject:	North Carolina Focus Fades for Dereg

Focus on Electric Deregulation Fades at High Point, N.C., Meeting 
Jacob McConnico 

Aug. 10, 2001 
Knight Ridder Tribune Business News - KRTBN 
Copyright (C) 2001 KRTBN Knight Ridder Tribune Business News; Source: World Reporter (TM) 

High Point electric utilities officials, city staff and elected leaders plan to spend the next two days talking about power issues ranging from saving residents money to unloading some of the city's debt. The 35th ElectriCities Annual Meeting gets started today with registration from 2 to 7 p.m. in New Bern. The conference shifts into high gear, with daylong meetings, presentations and demonstrations planned for Friday and Saturday. High Point Mayor Arnold Koonce, City Manager Strib Boynton and councilmen Ron Moore and Ron Wilkins will attend the two-day event. 

Koonce said the annual meeting provides a rare opportunity for High Point officials to meet with leaders from the 50 other cities and towns across the state that run their own power systems. The group meets under the umbrella of ElectriCities, a nonprofit group formed in 1965 to handle many of the issues that arise from municipal power distribution.

"It's the only time, unless you call a special meeting, that these officials get together in one place," Koonce said. "We get to find out what is happening throughout all of the ElectriCities."

ElectriCities provides customer service and safety training, emergency and technical assistance, communications, government affairs and legal services to its 51 members. The group also provides management services to the state's two municipal power agencies, N.C. Municipal Power Agency Number 1, which includes High Point and Lexington, and N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency.

Representatives from across the state will attend the meeting, and Moore said he is most interested in learning about progress on restructuring the $5.4 billion debt owed by ElectriCities and its members.

Moore said it is imperative for Duke Energy Corp. to obtain recertification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Catawba and McGuire nuclear power plants, which supply power to High Point and other members of ElectriCities. Recertification would allow the plants to operate for an additional 20 years, making it possible for ElectriCities to refinance its debt.

"I want to learn more about the effects of restructuring our debt on our customers," Moore said. "I want to know where ElectriCities stands on restructuring the debt, and where Duke is on getting this recertification."

Boynton echoed Moore's sentiments, but said this year's meeting will be a little different than last year's meeting because attendees will not be as worried about the possibility of the state deregulating the power industry.

"I think deregulation is effectively a dead issue because of the trouble they have had in California," Boynton said. "This meeting, however, is critically important because the electric fund makes up about $80 million of our annual budget. It's the single-largest part of our budget. Most of the decisions are made by ElectriCities, so it is critical for the Council to attend this meeting." 

	

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