Judy Dugan

Keystone XL: Oil Industry Cash Machine

Consumer Watchdog investigated the impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline on gasoline prices and consumers. is analysis by Judy Dugan and Tim Hamilton utilized...

A Child Lost to Dithering and Denial

Quin Murphy - Chula Vista, CA

Quin Murphy at 16 was a soccer fanatic, with a family who supported him, coached him, even went on trips with him to watch favorite teams. In 2010, all of that ended. Quin and his family fell into a four-month tragedy of medical bumbling that caused Quin intractable pain and ultimately killed him.

AAA Gets an “F” For Dumping Agents, Leaving Customers in the Lurch

Triple-A has been American drivers’ friend almost since U.S. roads linked the nation together. It has rescued families from flat tires and worse. It has planned millions of family vacations and sold well-regarded auto insurance. It has always skewed toward older drivers and welcomed their devoted renewal of memberships. Its employees got good benefits and stayed with the organization.

Iron Kay — Insurance Companies Pick Fight With Wrong Family

March 2014 update:

Victory! The insurers have settled with Aunt Kay, thanks to the campaign mounted by her nephew Dan Shea. If only every person stuck in insurance company hell had Dan's smarts, tenacity and resources! Or better yet, if only insurance companies weren't allowed to put claimants through the torment that Kay suffered.

Keystone XL Builder Has Explosive Problems

TransCanada, the company that would build and own the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada’s tar sand fields to the U.S. Gulf Coast, has dialed up its lobbying in Congress after a U.S. State Department report that favored the pipeline. The giant oil pipeline is perfectly clean and safe, say the lobbyists. TransCanada will be using the best, newest technology, monitoring and materials.

Was Sen. Rubio Auditioning For Job at Chevron?

The power of the petroleum industry in California may be unparalleled in the states. Its lobbying machine is  stupendously successful.  For instance, California remains the only significant oil producer that does not tax oil extracted in the state.

If the President Wants Cleaner, Safer Gas and Oil, Give Consumers Knowledge and Power

 

It was a relief to hear more than a passing reference to climate change in President Obama's State of the Union Speech, including promises of more support for wind and solar power. But the oil industry heard nothing to even cause even a smidgen of concern.

Break Out the Champagne at Chevron!

The news reports were on the gee-whiz side this week as state job safety regulators announced nearly $1 million in fines--the largest ever!-- against Chevron for its refinery blaze last August.  But "largest ever" o

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