A lame duck California state legislator and pro-market Democrat, Roderick Wright, chairman of the state Assembly energy/utilities committee, Thursday night threw his hat in the ring for a future appointment ot the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission during a speech to an industry audience in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Following an earlier appearance by Richard Riordan, the leading Republican candidate bidding to oppose current Gov. Gray Davis in November, Wright gave a spirited dissection of California’s energy problems, citing his now infamous “Top Ten Bonehead Moves” by regulators, legislators and the governor last year.

At the conclusion, Wright noted that he isn’t running for re-election, but instead is seriously hoping to get a FERC Commissioner’s spot. The outspoken African-American lawmaker from Los Angeles drew applause and a near standing ovation from a group of representatives at the winter meeting of the Western Power Trading Forum.

Riordan, the former Los Angeles mayor, spoke for a much shorter time with supporters of Davis taunting him outside the private meeting. A strong critic of the governor’s handling of the state energy crisis last year, Riordan assured his predominately generator/marketer audience that he will renegotiate the state’s much-criticized long-term electricity contracts as one of his first actions after being elected governor.

Wright said one of the big issues facing FERC and California is how to handle the creation of regional transmission organizations (RTOs). In response to a question, he said a private, independent RTO with no ties to generation or distribution ultimately is what is needed, but he is unsure of whether that is politically feasible.

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