Energy

State Senators Say Utility Regulators Must Restore Trust

August 29, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California Senate panel gave narrow approval Wednesday to Gov. Jerry Brown’s two recent appointees to a powerful utilities commission after...

Senate Leader Says Brown’s Utilities Commissioners Must Face More Questions Before A Floor Vote

August 29, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

The California Senate Rules Committee voted 3 to 0 on August 23 to confirm Governor Jerry Brown’s nomination of Clifford Rechtschaffen and Martha Guzman Aceves as commissioners on...

Public Interest Groups Urge CA Senate To Deny Gov’s Point Man Confirmation To PUC After He Fired Tough Oil Well Safety Regulators & Weakened Safety Rules

August 23, 2017  ·  Carmen Balber

Sacramento, CA —  Public interest groups are urging the California Senate Rules Committee to demand answers about oil and gas well safety breaches from Governor...

Gas Injections Resume At Aliso Canyon More Than 20 Months After Massive Leak

August 1, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

Despite concerns raised by residents and Los Angeles County leaders, Southern California Gas Co. said Monday it is restarting natural gas injections at Aliso Canyon...

Governor’s Sister Kathleen Brown Makes More Than $1 Million Dollars From Sempra Board Work, And Stands To Make More, As Regulators Favor Company And Resume Injections At Aliso Canyon Gas Reserve

August 1, 2017  ·  Liza Tucker

Santa Monica, CA — Sempra shareholders have profited wildly from the favorable decisions taken by Jerry Brown’s appointees since the Governor was elected, and his...

Who Benefits From The Arbitration Rule, And Who Wants It Repealed?

July 14, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

The debate over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s newly-issued arbitration rule is frequently billed as a fight for consumer advocacy or against byzantine bureaucracy. But behind...

Consumer Advocate: DWP Is Rife With Conflicts Of Interest

July 14, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

A consumer advocate says it’s time to shed some light on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s screwy spending priorities.  DWP customers have...

Jerry Brown Announces Global Climate Action Summit As He Promotes Fracking, Delta Tunnels

July 14, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

The New York Times didn’t mention that “America’s de facto leader on climate change” received $9.8 million from oil, gas and utilities, often within days...

Advocates: Exide Cleanup Plan Leaves Many To ‘Fend For Ourselves’

July 14, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment. Consumer advocates and community activists say the state Department of Toxic Substances Control’s...

Op-Ed: Brown’s Beijing Fling With Contributors

July 13, 2017  ·  Mark Reback

While in Beijing, Gov. Jerry Brown publicly promoted the fight against climate change. Just as important was the quiet attendance of AES, a major builder...

California’s Double-Edged “Climate Leadership”: Behind The Big Talk, A Cozy Relationship With Big Oil

July 13, 2017  ·  Evan Thomas King

When President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, California elected officials were immediate leaders in the reaction,...

Governor Jerry Brown Betrays Californians with Massive Giveaway to Oil Industry in Proposed Extension of Cap-and-Trade

July 11, 2017  ·  Liza Tucker

Sacramento, CA — Consumer Watchdog and Food & Water Watch oppose Assembly Bill 398, brokered by Governor Jerry Brown to extend California’s cap-and-trade program past...