Electric deregulation is supposed to benefit Texas consumers – all consumers, urban and rural. But the legislature recently allowed the Panhandle five extra years to deregulate. Why? Because deregulation could backfire for that region’s farms and ranches. What does that foretell for farms and ranches elsewhere? Sixty years ago rural electric cooperatives were formed because private power companies found rural dwellers “unprofitable.” Will they again? Will they want to compete for your business? Portions of East Texas are seeking exemption from deregulation because nobody has signed up to compete for their business. As your Smart Choice Electric Cooperative, we intend to wait and see if this industry experiment will work. That’s the smart choice. For more information on deregulation, visit us at our web site, or call your local Smart Choice Cooperative.

Smart Choice is a coalition of Texas cooperatives committed to making the right decision on electric deregulation.