Please see following news article and White House press release:


Clinton Offers Federal Funds for Electricity Woes in California

08/23/2000
Dow Jones Business News
(Copyright (c) 2000, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- President Clinton will direct federal agencies to 
provide financial assistance to
low-income families and small businesses in Southern California to help them 
cope with high electricity bills, the
White House said. 

California utility regulators earlier this week imposed a partial rate cap on 
electric bills for San Diego residents,
responding to public panic about power prices that have more than doubled 
this summer because of volatility in the
state's deregulated energy market. The deregulation of California's $20 
billion power market was supposed to lower
prices by creating greater competition. But demand for electricity has 
outstripped supply because of a booming
economy and less power available from other areas.

Clinton ordered the release of $2.6 million from the Low Income Home Energy 
Assistance Program to help
low-income families while the Small Business Administration will urge its 
lending partners to use SBA credit
programs to help small businesses with their energy costs. 

In addition, Mr. Clinton has called on Energy Secretary Bill Richardson to 
ask the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission to speed up an investigation into the wholesale market for 
electricity "so that state and federal
regulators and policy makers can have the information they need to protect 
consumers in a timely fashion." 

Mr. Clinton's actions mark the second time this summer the president has 
stepped in to help California cope with
its electricity shortages. Earlier, the president called on all federal 
facilities in California to cut their power usage and
to direct power back into the electricity grid. 

(Compiled from Dow Jones Newswires and other sources) 

Copyright (c) 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. 

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 
---------------------- Forwarded by Karen Denne/Corp/Enron on 08/23/2000 
10:43 AM ---------------------------
   
	
	
	From:  Ann M Schmidt                           08/23/2000 10:41 AM
	

To: Steven J Kean/NA/Enron@Enron, Karen Denne/Corp/Enron@ENRON
cc:  

Subject: President Clinton Press Release

Following is a link to the actual White House page with the statement from 
Clinton today.