James M. Jeffords: “Today, plaintiffs from my home State of Vermont made opening arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of…”

“Today, plaintiffs from my home State of Vermont made opening arguments in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The plaintiffs, representing the New England Council for Energy Efficiency and the Environment, have raised serious questions about the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision in 1997 to grant power marketer status to a subsidiary of the Canadian company Hydro-Quebec. The Council is protesting that Hydro-Quebec was unlawfully granted the ability to buy and sell power in the U.S. without regulatory oversight. According to expert testimony in that case, Hydro-Quebec already exercises too much control over Northeastern energy markets, and Vermont ratepayers will have to pay higher energy bills if this license is upheld. Hydro-Quebec's ability and willingness to exert undue influence on electricity markets in the United States is of serious concern. The company's request last month that the Canadian government sue the United States over fair trade practices is a clear infringement of the legitimate rights of Vermonters to set Vermont electric rates.”