Energy

Dirty Last Minute Deal To Weaken Gasoline Price Gouging Law Passes Under Radar; Gasoline Prices Up Steeply In California And State Has Failed To Respond

September 15, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

Sacramento, CA — A bill amended 72 hours before the end of the legislative session and passed in the dead of night without debate would...

The Good That Came Out Of Suing the State Over Allowing Illegal Disposal Of Radioactive Waste From CA’s Most Notorious Cold War Lab: An Epitaph

August 21, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

The Santa Susana Field Lab, nestled in the Simi Hills, is about an hour by car from downtown Los Angeles.  It is the scene of experimental...

Prominent Public Interest Groups Support Consumer Watchdog Petition To CA Supreme Court To Require State Agencies To Enforce Strict Rule On Radioactive Debris Disposal From Santa Susana Site

July 18, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

Supreme Court Action Needed To Protect Hundreds Of Thousands Of Californians From Harm Los Angeles, CA—Public interest groups filed amicus letters with the California Supreme...

California Oil Regulators Continue Issuing Permits In Q2 To Rework Leaky, Unproductive Wells; Should Order Plugging Instead, Advocates Say

July 13, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

Los Angeles, CA—The total number of oil drilling permits issued blew past 15,000 since Governor Newsom took office in 2019, while nearly all permits issued...

CA Anti-Gouging Law Has Led To Lower Gasoline Prices, Consumer Watchdog Finds

June 28, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA—California gasoline prices have dropped significantly and stabilized relative to national gas prices in the wake of the Governor’s call, and enactment of,...

Consumer Watchdog Asks CA Finance Dept. To Strike Continued Funding For Failed SF Mobile Recycling Pilot From Budget

June 22, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

Los Angeles, CA— Consumer Watchdog has called upon the Governor’s Department of Finance to strike a $500,000 allocation in the legislative-approved budget for the San...

SF BottleBank Pilot To Refund CRV Bottle Deposits A Bust; Coalition Gives CalRecyle Checklist for Reform 

June 12, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

Los Angeles, CA—The San Francisco BottleBank bottle deposit return  pilot featuring trucks rotating between supermarket parking lots has burned through over $3.6 million in state...

Senator Portantino, Shame on You

May 22, 2023  ·  Consumer Watchdog

California State Senator Anthony Portantino abused his power to side with oil drillers and threaten the public’s health. He prevented a vote on a key bill to hold oil drillers accountable. Shame on you, Senator Portantino.

Senator Portantino Stops Bill To Hold Oil Drillers Liable For Health Impacts On Community In Undemocratic Use of Unilateral Power To Hold Bills In Committee

May 18, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

SB 556 would have held oil companies presumptively liable for causing cancer, asthma, preterm and high risk births for people living within 3200 ft of...

Senator Portantino: Protect Our Communities From Oil Drillers

May 17, 2023  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Community oil drilling threatens our public health. Senator Portantino has an opportunity to stand up for our communities.

Bill To Hold Oil Companies Liable for Harms in Safety Zones Passes First Hurdle in the California Senate

April 25, 2023  ·  Jamie Court

SB 556 — legislation that gives people who live near oil wells and have developed cancer, respiratory illnesses and birth defects the right to hold oil drillers liable for their illnesses — passed the California Senate Judiciary Committee in a 8 to 2 vote. SB 556 will now be referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

At Your Convenience: How California Can Make Refunding Bottle Deposits As Easy As Buying Beverages In The First Place.

April 19, 2023  ·  Liza Tucker

After decades of consumer and media criticism of California’s failed bottle deposit return program, Governor Newsom and the California Legislature last year finally passed a substantive reform of the program.