How can they justify increasing from .03 to .98 in 1 month?
That’s over a 3200% markup!
In 1 month!
This is in the Houston market…
My gas bill went up to $200…
I guess Centerpoint has a monopoly on being a gas provider here in Houston?
if monopolies cannot exist in the free market, then why the heck is Centerpoint the only provider of natural gas to the house in Houston?!
Because utilities are regulated (and sometimes public) industries.
Um… Free market?
Centerpoint Energy (formerly Entex) was originally created as a public utility. It is now a corporate subsidiary of Reliant Energy. Centerpoint enjoys utility easements provided by law to them alone for purposes of delivering natural gas. That privilege alone makes any private competition for natural gas to residences virtually impossible. Add to that the fact that tampering with Centerpoint’s property (meters, gas lines, etc.) is not merely a simple civil tort but is a criminal offense. Electricity, the only competing form of energy, is provided by Centerpoint’s parent company, Reliant Energy (formerly Houston Lighting and Power), under almost identical privileges in terms of easements etc.
What exactly does that mean?
are utility easments government grants? that don’t have to be paid back? bailouts, sort of?