Governor's task force does not recommend re-regulating natural gas market

ATLANTA - A special commission appointed by the governor showed no interest Wednesday in re-regulating the natural gas industry in Georgia despite complaints from consumers over how they have fared under deregulation. <br> <br> Instead, the panel suggested some possible steps to allay consumer concerns, including a change to allow at least one gas provider to offer service under the regulation of the Public Service Commission, which formerly regulated the entire industry. <br> <br> The recommendation would be in step with recent public statements from Barnes, who said the gas deregulation law might need to be adjusted but not repealed. <br> <br> ``The consensus is not recommending re-regulation at this time, but to ask the PSC to keep tabs on national events,&#39;&#39; said Wayne Clough, Georgia Tech president and member of the task force. <br> <br> PSC Commissioner Stan Wise believes a bidding process should determine which gas provider to use. <br> <br> ``I think this establishes a baseline,&#39;&#39; Wise said. ``And for fairness, it should be a bidding process which is open to any provider.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Even so, there is sentiment among some legislators about re-regulating as the 2002 session convenes. Sen. David Scott, D-Atlanta, plans to introduce legislation which will overturn the 1997 deregulation law that has been blamed by some for the high natural gas prices last year. <br> <br> But Wise believes re-regulating isn&#39;t something Georgia should even consider. <br> <br> ``I believe that the effects of re-regulating would be dramatically worse than anything we&#39;ve ever seen,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I think that we&#39;ve gone down the road of deregulation and to go back at this point would be very bad and come at a huge cost for the consumer.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Sen. Regina Thomas, D-Savannah, initially pushed for re-regulation, but said she would wait and see how ``consumer-friendly&#39;&#39; the governor would be in his legislation. <br> <br> Thomas said she gets about 90 calls a day from people who have had their gas cut off. <br> <br> PSC Commissioner Lauren ``Bubba&#39;&#39; McDonald said he&#39;s happy with Wednesday&#39;s outcome and believes re-regulation would only cause more problems among natural gas consumers. <br> <br> McDonald called Thomas&#39; push for re-regulation ``public policy for local consumption.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``She pushed for that because she has a bill to re-regulate,&#39;&#39; he said. ``Introducing legislation to re-regulate on the heels that deregulation has been an unmitigated disaster is ridiculous. It&#39;s for local consumption, but that&#39;s the legislative process.&#39;&#39;