A law enforcement perspective of electricity deregulation

In April 2004, the California Attorney Generalʹs (AG) office issued a white paper that provided a “law enforcement perspective of the California energy crisis.” To complete this special issueʹs coverage, I summarize three aspects of that paper: notably, the deficiencies in market oversight and enforcement that left the deregulated market prone to potential abuse, the principal modus operandi that some market agents used to exploit those deficiencies without fear of retribution, and the AGʹs “recommendations for improving enforcement and protecting consumers in deregulated energy markets.”