Former PUC, RRC Chair Smitherman Addresses Prospects For Retail Natural Gas Choice In Texas
November 03,2016
During the recent National Energy Marketers Association's 2016 Policy Leadership Roundtable in Austin, Barry Smitherman, former Chair of the Texas PUC and Railroad Commission, addressed prospects for retail natural gas choice in Texas
Currently, Texas gas choice is limited to various transportation-level programs, with no true "choice" program or competitive opportunities for small volume natural gas customers.
"I don't see it [full gas choice] anytime soon," Smitherman said, citing low natural gas costs as promoting the status quo.
"There doesn't seem to be a driving factor to make that happen. Gas prices are low, gas bills are low," Smitherman said, noting the average Texas residential gas bill is only about $35.
"So nobody cares, nobody is moving that proposition forward," Smitherman said
"Cheap natural gas eliminates the driving factor," for choice, Smitherman said