If all goes as planned, by January 1, 2002, customer choice will have been introduced to most Texans currently served by investor-owned electric utilities. In some other states, like California, the transition to a competitive retail electricity market has proven disastrous. Texas policymakers, however, remain optimistic that they have crafted a successful electricity market restructuring scheme. Will this plan lower retail electricity rates, increase choices for consumers, and encourage innovation? Or, will flaws in the market structure adopted in California similarly plague the establishment of an efficient and competitive market for electricity in Texas?
