FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	

AT

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1998	

(202) 616 2771

TDD (202) 514 1888


JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND CITY OF STILWELL, OKLAHOMA SETTLE


ANTITRUST SUIT



	WASHINGTON, D.C.    The Department of Justice and the City of Stilwell,
Oklahoma reached a settlement today that prohibits the City from withholding water
service from city residents who want to purchase electricity from other electric
companies.  The agreement settles a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department
against the City and the Stilwell Area Development Authority.

	The complaint, filed on April 25, 1996 in U.S. District Court in Muskogee,
Oklahoma, alleged that Stilwell forced local customers to buy its electricity by refusing
to provide them  with  water and sewer services unless customers also agreed to
purchase their electricity from the City.  The complaint alleged that this "all or none"
utility policy prevented consumers from receiving the benefits of competition from a
rural electric cooperative that was seeking to serve new customers in Stilwell.  Under
the settlement, the City may no longer use its water and sewer monopoly to suppress
competition from other electric companies.

	"The settlement ensures that the City of Stilwell will not deprive Stilwell
consumers of the benefits of competition in the retail electric industry," said Joel I. Klein,
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division. "This settlement also
sends a clear message to utilities throughout the country (including municipal electric
utilities) that their conduct must conform to the antitrust laws." 

	As required by the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, the proposed
settlement, along with the Department's Competitive Impact Statement, will be
published in the Federal Register.  Any person may submit comments on the proposed
decree within sixty days to Roger Fones, Chief, Transportation, Energy and Agriculture
Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 325 7th Street, N.W., Suite 500,
Washington, D.C.   20530.  At the conclusion of the comment period, the Court may
enter the final judgment upon finding, following review of the comments received, that it
serves the public interest.

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