Tyson Slocum Quotations

It shouldn't be a place where political favors are granted.

There's a lot of geographic concentration of power. All these folks are from Texas -- a big energy-producing state. It shows where the influence is.

Under deregulation, it becomes much easier for these utility companies to claim that this is what our estimated taxes are and we need to recoup these costs. And then they engage in all kinds of tax liability schemes that wind up reducing what they actually owe.

The state thought it would be a great idea. It no longer protected consumers.

Noble has made a billion dollars in profits since 2000, but it doesn't pay its fair share in taxes. Taxpayers are being gouged at both ends of this deal. Noble is getting rich off high energy prices, while the Department of Energy is giving away taxpayers' hard-earned dollars in the form of an unnecessary grant.

What we're saying is, look, there's an easy way to pay for it: the oil companies. They've got record cash flows, record profits. Impose a new tax on them, use the revenues to dedicate to these programs.

We don't think these large mergers are good for consumers. They put more utilities in fewer and fewer hands, increasing the likelihood of complex financial structures that will be less transparent and undermining the ability of state regulators to protect consumers.

You wouldn't want that person on the commission at all.

The House bill basically punted most responsibilities to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Senate bill takes a more aggressive stance in protecting investors, in our opinion.

They are making out like bandits right now, at a time when I'm not sure that the economy can sustain these high prices.