Under a deregulation plan adopted by Massachusetts, utilities in the state have moved to spin off their generating plants.

The community debated the deregulation plan for two and a half years.

Opponents of Proposition 9 are spending more than $30 million on a campaign to defend the deregulation plan that went into effect earlier this year.

That prospect could inhibit other states from proceeding with their own deregulation plans.

As a result, he is reluctant to tamper with the existing deregulation plan, especially because it has only begun to take hold.

Texas' deregulation plan - the culmination of a legislative battle that began in 1995 - went into effect last month.

They include a botched deregulation plan, a dilatory state government and predatory energy companies.

The new deregulation plan is expected to be announced as scheduled.

The original proposal had a big effect on other states and utilities, some of which began to consider their own deregulation plans.

The action yesterday is also expected to influence other states on deregulation plans.