Energy

FUEL PRICES A HOT TOPIC

March 26, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Marketplace Radio Program (American Public Media)</p> <p>One thing you didn't hear President Bush or the car company CEO's pointing out this morning, is that right about the time they were talking, oil was hitting $63 a barrel. Or that gas prices are up sharply as well, more than a nickel in the past two weeks. $2.61 is the average for a gallon of self-serve regular now. Part of that's geopolitical. Tensions in the Middle East and supply problems in Nigeria rarely make prices to go down. But commentator and consumer advocate Jamie Court suggests there are some sleight of hand behind those rising gas prices, too.</p>

FUEL PRICES A HOT TOPIC

March 26, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Marketplace Radio Program (American Public Media)</p> <p>One thing you didn't hear President Bush or the car company CEO's pointing out this morning, is that right about the time they were talking, oil was hitting $63 a barrel. Or that gas prices are up sharply as well, more than a nickel in the past two weeks. $2.61 is the average for a gallon of self-serve regular now. Part of that's geopolitical. Tensions in the Middle East and supply problems in Nigeria rarely make prices to go down. But commentator and consumer advocate Jamie Court suggests there are some sleight of hand behind those rising gas prices, too.</p>

High Gas Prices Not Much of a Mystery

March 22, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Precinct Reporter</p> <p>"One of the best evidences we've seen of manipulation of the gasoline market came in October. Just as we were approaching election season, gasoline prices fell. In fact, they fell pretty dramatically. The problem is not our dependency on foreign oil; it's Washington politicians' dependence on oil campaign contributions," said Doug Heller, consumer advocate with FTCR.</p>

PG&E, Giants draw heat over solar plan

March 22, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">The Los Angeles Times</p> <p>Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, objected to the planned use of ratepayer funds for the solar project. "This was an attempt to get a nice PR ploy, and if that's the case, then PG&E shareholders should pick up the tab," Court said.</p>

PG&E plans to dun ratepayers for AT&T solar panels

March 21, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">The San Jose Mercury News (California)</p> <p>"Its hypocritical for PG&E, the Giants and the mayor of San Francisco to say they are doing something good for the environment when the public is going to be asked to pay for it, especially when PG&E doesn't have permission for it yet from the PUC,'' said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Los Angeles. Court said that consumer groups will ask the PUC to require PG&E to pay the bill.</p>

Chevron honcho hauls in $31.6 million;

March 20, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>San Ramon-based company, facing consumer group criticism, says 2006 salary was actually only $13.5 million</h3><p class="source">The Contra Costa Times (California)</p> <p>The compensation amounts, coupled with the gains from selling stock, irked Judy Dugan, research director for the consumer foundation. "In California, we constantly pay more for gasoline than the rest of the country, and the result is pure profiteering by Chevron and other oil companies," Dugan said. "These are obscene profits that go to pay for an obscene salary."</p>

AT&T Park to go solar

March 20, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">San Jose Mercury News (California)</p> <p>Although a press release from the Giants and PG&E said the electricty will be sent "into San Francisco's power grid to help the city achieve its goal to become the greenest city in the nation,'' once on the grid, electricity can move over great distances, with no guarantee that the "clean power'' will stay in San Francisco. "The electricity from this could end up anywhere -- in Yolo County, or even across the Bay, lighting up the A's stadium,'' said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a Los Angeles consumer rights group.</p>

California expects to see fix to hot fuel;

March 15, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Solution likely coming within months to state's pumps, Sen. Boxer says.</h3><p class="source">The Kansas City Star</p> <p>Jamie Court, president of The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, said he expected Boxer's involvement to make the day nearer when consumers in California would be able to buy temperature-adjusted fuel.</p>

Consumer group attacks UC-Berkeley for ties to Big Oil

March 14, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">The San Jose Mercury News (California)</p> <p>Saying that Berkeley should learn from Stanford's "mistakes,'' Foundation president Jamie Court said the regents should do everything they can to protect the public university's academic autonomy and integrity as it partners with Big Oil. "The University of California must not allow itself to be, as Stanford has become, a greenwash for one of the world's largest oil companies,'' Court wrote. The foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan consumer group based in Santa Monica.</p>

Big Oil Grants At Cal, Stanford Draw Criticism

March 13, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">KPIX-TV5 (CBS - San Francisco, CA)</p> <p>"They mention Stanford because they get credibility by being associated with Stanford," said John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights. And now his consumer-rights group is raising questions about oil companies sponsoring research projects on local campuses. "Here you have companies that don't have very good images doing everything they can to associate with well known high quality research institutions. And clearly they're burnishing their image," Simpson said.</p>

BP’s Deal With UC Berkeley Under Scrutiny;

March 12, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Is The University Being Exploited?</h3><p class="source">KGO-TV 7 (ABC - San Francisco, CA)</p> <p>John Simpson, Foundation for Taxpayers' and Consumers' Rights: "That's a huge problem as I see it. You're going to have public research going on and shoulder to shoulder you're going to have BP scientists on the payroll indulging in what's described as proprietary research. That means to me secret research. It just seems to me that they get the benefit from everything that Berkeley has to offer and they give very little in return."</p>

Pump prices rising with swelling refinery profits

March 11, 2007  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p class="source">Ventura County Star (California)</p> <p>Consumer advocates say the oil companies are intentionally limiting gasoline supplies to drive up prices and profit margins. "What this industry needs to make big profits and what consumers need to have reasonable prices are very different things," said Judy Dugan, research director for the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.</p>