7403 - Declaration of policy.
§ 7403. Declaration of policy. The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: (1) Because of advances in electric generation technology and Federal initiatives to encourage greater competition in the wholesale electric market, it is now in the public interest to permit retail customers to obtain direct access to a competitive generation market as long as safe and affordable service is available at levels of reliability that are currently enjoyed by the citizens and businesses of this Commonwealth. (2) Electric cooperative corporations which own and operate electric generation, transmission or distribution facilities in this Commonwealth, which are operated on a nonprofit basis and which are owned and are democratically controlled by the member-consumers which they serve are an essential part of the rural infrastructure and an important participant in the economic development and vitality of significant areas of this Commonwealth. (3) In providing for customer choice for the member- consumers of electric cooperative corporations, the financial integrity, operations and independence of electric cooperative corporations must be protected and preserved, while comparable standards are provided for electric suppliers for the provision of service to new loads, by providing for the continued exemption for electric cooperative corporations from the jurisdiction and control of the commission and by providing for a separate system of choice for persons in the service territories of electric cooperative corporations. (4) The complete right of electric cooperative corporations to compete with others in providing electric and other services must be provided for throughout this Commonwealth.