AGL Resources, parent of LDC Atlanta Gas Light, said Atlanta GasLight Services will be the name of its non-regulated marketingaffiliate when competition begins in Georgia. Not everyone is happywith the choice.

“Atlanta Gas Light Services is a new, entrepreneurial, marketcompetitive company that shares its heritage with a family ofcompanies that Georgians have known and trusted for reliable gasservice for many years,” said Walter M. Higgins, CEO of AGLResources.

At least part of the immediate name recognition Atlanta GasLight Services will enjoy was paid for by ratepayers, said KathleenMagruder, vice president of rates and tariffs for Enron EnergyServices, which plans to compete against Atlanta Gas Light Servicesand others in the Georgia market. “I would assume that the reasonAGL has decided to take this tack is that they know there is amarket power advantage to using this name,” Magruder said. Shenoted AGL already had a non-regulated marketing affiliate marketingto commercial and industrial customers called The Energy Spring.

Energy Spring will become a part of Atlanta Gas Light Servicesand be known by that name. Atlanta Gas Light Services also will goafter residential and small commercial customers.

Georgia Public Service Commission spokesman Shawn Davis said thePSC was only given one day’s notice of AGL’s intent to changeEnergy Spring to AGL Services. “The announcement was unexpected tosay the least.” Davis said during three years of negotiationsleading up to Georgia deregulation, AGL said Energy Spring would beits marketer for small commercial and residential customers. AGLspokesman Ross Willis said this is not so; the company did notcommit to using Energy Spring in the residential, small commercialmarket. “I don’t see how you can have an unfair competitiveadvantage when you’re doing something that’s never been done, andthat’s exactly what we’re doing,” Willis added.

“I will say that I am concerned and we will have to review theissues of the name and the relationship between the name and marketpower in a new competitive marketplace,” said PSC Commissioner StanWise. “Yes, there’s real concern for me. Certainly, there’sprecedent for Atlanta Gas to use their name, but holy cow, that’s aname that’s been bought and paid for by ratepayers for the last 75to 80 years.”

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