Disagreement May Stall Electric Utility Deregulation

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Disagreement between the electric utility industry and Gov. Jim Edgar's office may scuttle hopes for an electric deregulation bill this session, sources say.

Despite more than 150 hours of closed-door meetings with about 70 Illinois legislators and representatives of utility interests, little agreement has been reached on the main issues: when the state's electric utilities will deregulate and how they will be run.

If the committee doesn't agree on a proposal, legislators have said they are wary about voting for a bill that the utility companies don't want. The Legislature is depending on the committee to present a plan on which all players agree. Last year, the …