After a forced five week layoff because of marketing tacticsviolations, Energy America announced yesterday it is poised tore-enter the New Jersey electricity marketing arena. The SempraEnergy affiliate recently reached an interim agreement with stateofficials that will allow the marketer to continue servingcustomers, pending the signing of a final order.

Under the terms of the agreement, Energy America will resume itsdoor-to-door outreach activities throughout New Jersey’sresidential and small commercial communities. Energy America spentthe past five weeks revising its marketing and training materials.Both the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and theDivision of Consumer Affairs (DCA) have reviewed the materials andrevisions, and Energy America will continue working with bothorganizations until a final settlement has been reached.

“In accordance with the BPU’s and DCA’s mandate, we have createda ‘gold standard’ for consumer protection in New Jersey working inconjunction with the BPU and DCA,” said David A. Messer, presidentof Energy America. “Through this method we believe we will becontributing to the overall success of electric deregulation inthis state.”

The five week stay was caused when the BPU received more than 350complaints about Energy America as it tried to sign electric customersin New Jersey’s newly-deregulated electric market (see Daily GPI, Dec. 13). The allegations covered a widerange from lying about rebates to pressuring tactics, to tellingpeople that their utility is going out of business.

In order to avoid a full hearing before the Commission and thepossibility that it could lose its marketer’s license, EnergyAmerica cut a deal with the BPU and DCA. A spokesman for the BPUsaid the marketer will be given the green light to start eithertoday or tomorrow.

As one of the first energy marketing firms to enter New Jersey,Stamford CN-based Energy America began selling energy toresidential and small business customers in September 1999. It hasalmost 40,000 electric customers in the state. With nearly 400,000customers, Energy America currently sells energy to residential andsmall-business customers in New Jersey, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio,Pennsylvania and Michigan.

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