State Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) wants to know why people living within a captive electric market (under a city owned utility) are unable to have the same competitive market choices as other Texans. The question came up in conjunction with an early February Senate Business and Commerce committee hearing.

"A lot of constituents might not know, but we have a deregulated, competitive market in most of Texas - where consumers can ... search for the best prices," Schwertner told WTAW in a recent interview.

However, that is not the case across the board. In certain areas that are served by municipal utilities or co-ops consumers often have no choice for an electricity provider. Schwertner emphasized that "deregulation has led to competition and cost competitiveness."

"It’s time to explore whether deregulation [makes sense] in municipal-owned areas as well as co-op owned areas in the state,” Schwertner said. 

Schwertner said Bryan Texas Utilities leaders Flynn Adcock, Pete Bienski, Jr. and A. Bentley Nettles were “doing a good job of managing.”

But, there are certain areas of the state, including in Georgetown, where he said that long-term energy contracts were negotiated, and those costs, higher than market prices, are now being borne by the ratepayers who have no ability to go seek another option.

Over the next 10 to 30 years, Schwertner said he would like 100 percent of Texas to have the ability to search for competition and the best price for their utilities, and he said that was the focus of the recent committee hearing. The other topic of discussion was whether they should continue with the current system.

When it comes to a for-profit, co-ops were able to supply an area of Texas that wouldn’t have had power if co-ops didn’t exist, he said. 

“I believe the utility market has matured to the point where we might want to consider allowing the free markets to take a more primary role in all areas of Texas," Schwertner said. "The customer is paramount in my mind and I think free markets in a mature market should supersede local control in a monopoly.”