Energy

Energy and utility watchdog coverage — gas prices, oil-industry profits, utility rates, and clean-energy accountability.

Hearing Pits Consumer Watchdog Against Petroleum Association

December 16, 2015 · Mark Reback

<a href="http://www.kgoradio.com/2015/12/16/hearing-pits-consumer-watchdog-against-petroleum-association/">Click here to listen to the audio</a> of this radio broadcast segment. (KGO) – The California Energy Commission is holding a hearing today to address the issue of why gas prices are usually higher here in California. Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court is charging the oil companies with gouging us at the pump. “California oil refiners have made an extra 10 billion dollars on our gasoline in the state in 2015,” Court said.

Refiners Pin High Gas Prices On State Rules, Plant Closure; Industry Group Rebuffs claims That It is Manipulating Fuel Costs In California

December 16, 2015 · Mark Reback

California's stubbornly high gasoline prices resulted from state regulations, trouble with imports and an outage at a major refinery, the oil refining industry told regulators Wednesday. Speaking to the state Petroleum Market Advisory Committee for the first time since expensive California gasoline brought huge profits to oil refineries this year, the Western States Petroleum Assn. said the unusual gap between the state's average price for a gallon of regular gas and the national average involved matters out of the oil refinery industry's control.

Keystone XL: Oil Industry Cash Machine

December 6, 2015 · Judy Dugan

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

L.A. Motorists Are Paying 75 Cents More Than U.S. Average For A Gallon Of Gas

December 2, 2015 · Mark Reback

Much of the nation is paying $2 or less for a gallon of regular gasoline for the first time since spring 2009. But in California, drivers are shelling out significantly more — and the price gap has gotten wider in recent weeks. The Los Angeles area has been hit particularly hard. L.A. motorists are paying an average price that is 75 cents a gallon more than the national average, compared with a 30-cent difference a year earlier. Fuel experts attribute the increased disparity largely to refinery outages.

Why Rooftop Solar Advocates Are Upset About California’s Clean-Energy Law

November 29, 2015 · Mark Reback

California's aggressive push to increase renewable energy production comes with a catch for people with solar panels on the roof: You don't count. If a home or business has a rooftop solar system, most of the wattage isn't included in the ambitious requirement to generate half of the state's electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030, part of legislation signed in October by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Why California Drivers Pay Highest Gas Prices

November 19, 2015 · Mark Reback

EDITORIAL: For DWP Ratepayer Advocate, Tim To Switch On The Power

November 18, 2015 · Mark Reback

The Department of Water and Power’s ratepayer advocate is more than halfway through his five-year term as the first occupant of the office created to give the public an ear and a voice at the giant utility. Are DWP customers being heard louder than before? Is the DWP less mysterious? Most would say no, and in that sense the recent criticism of ratepayer advocate Fred Pickel and his Office of Public Accountability is justified.

EDITORIAL: L.A. Needs Its DWP Ratepayer Advocate To Speak Up

November 17, 2015 · Mark Reback

In 2011, when Angelenos were considering a ballot measure to create a "ratepayer advocate" to monitor the Department of Water and Power, the Times editorial board endorsed the idea, with a caveat. We said the advocate should be a well-regarded professional with deep expertise in utility operations, not a populist bomb thrower solely interested in blocking rate increases. And that's exactly what Los Angeles got in Fred Pickel — for better and worse.

Only 1 Californian Got Custom Oil Map – Brown

November 13, 2015 · Mark Reback

State officials have defended Gov. Jerry Brown's request to have regulators map and study his family's ranch for oil, gas and mining potential — arguing that the work by the state was nothing the agency wouldn't do for other members of the public.

Consumer Group Wants L.A. Officials To Oust DWP Ratepayer Advocate

November 12, 2015 · Mark Reback

Years ago, Los Angeles voters decided that the city needed an independent advocate to scrutinize water and electricity rates and stand up for customers at the Department of Water and Power. Now a Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group wants city leaders to oust the man who holds that job, arguing that he has failed to speak up as scandals dogged the utility.

Op-Ed Commentary: Mayor Garcetti Needs To Lift ‘Chinatown’ Curse On DWP

November 12, 2015 · Mark Reback

The following Op-Ed Commentary by Consumer Watchdog President, Jamie Court, was <a href="http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20151112/mayor-garcetti-needs-to-lift-chinatown-curse-on-dwp-guest-commentary">published in Los Angeles Daily News on Thursday, November 12, 2015</a>. The repeating real-life corruption at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power of recent years often feels as inevitable and unstoppable as the tragic cycle in the 1970s noir detective film 'Chinatown' that made the department famous.

Consumer Watchdog: DWP Overbilled Ratepayers

November 12, 2015 · Mark Reback

Consumer advocates called today for the replacement of the ratepayer of the Department of Water and Power, saying he has failed to properly advocate for the utility’s customers. Representatives of Consumer Watchdog sent a letter urging Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Attorney Mike Feuer to fire DWP ratepayer advocate Fred Pickel, saying “his failure to speak out for ratepayers during these last years of scandal makes clear he should be replaced with a true consumer advocate immediately.”