Bob Johnston, President and CEO of MEAG Power, has 27 years experience in the electric utility industry with 19 years in management, including 4 years as vice president of engineering and operations with MEAG Power prior to becoming president in 1998.

		An industry pundit said of competitive retail markets, "Price matters; value (service) matters more, and reliability matters most." Comment?
		I believe reliability does matter most. Consumer reactions, to even brief power interruptions, remind us anything less than "always" is unacceptable, as evidenced in the widespread NE blackout in 2003. For residential consumers, lifestyles depend on it and business customers stake productivity and profits on it. Price and service are important companions. With quality service, your price doesn't have to be the lowest but it better be competitive or customers do walk.
		FERC and Congress continue to debate standard market design and the formation of regional transmission organizations (RTOs). What does this mean for the Georgia Integrated Transmission System?
		It means a strong likelihood for change in the next few years for the state grid. We are working with all the stakeholders to ensure we retain the benefits of this four-member co-owned system serving all the state suppliers. As a jointly operated grid today, we are already achieving some of the benefits FERC is seeking. We want a system that is acceptable to FERC, but we won't accept a position that degrades system reliability or system economics, or that requires sacrifice by our native load customers.
		What have we learned from other deregulation initiatives, such as the gas industry in Georgia or other states who have enacted retail competition?
		Cost doesn't necessarily go down with deregulation. Plus, it's debatable as to whether the average citizen benefits from such efforts. This is the challenge for Georgia, a state already lower in cost than the national average. It is a Herculean task for Georgia legislators and regulators to extract additional value for its citizens through restructuring. To their credit, no efforts are underway to deregulate electricity in Georgia. In fact many states which have done so are not realizing a benefit to customers. Frankly, our business is complicated. Our product can't be stored, it travels at the speed of light and the players are diverse. Public power, cooperatives and investor-owned utilities are dissimilar breeds with different missions, goals and values. Restructuring is basically not an easy proposition.
		How do you think Georgia's Municipal Electric Systems will fare in energy markets envisioned by FERC and Congress?
		We have been and will continue to be competitive. Our cities have thrived in a state that has had industrial load competition for 30 years.  Our cities are healthy and due to the steps we are taking with our generation and transmission assets the MEAG Power System will remain healthy as well. The Municipal Competitive Trust, launched in 1999, is another significant step in our preparedness. This fund will help participants manage future costs that potentially threaten their competitiveness. The building of new peaking generation limits future exposure in a volatile wholesale market and the MEAG Power business units assist the cities in marketing, operations and technology.