In the 1980s, energy corporations lobbied Washington to deregulate the business. Companies including Enron said the extra competition would benefit both companies and consumers.
Washington began to lift controls on who could produce energy and how it was sold.
New suppliers came to the market and competition increased. But the price of energy became more volatile in the free market.
Enron saw its chance to make money out of these fluctuations. It decided to act as middle man and guarantee stable prices - taking its own cut along the way.
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