Energy

Oil Slicked: How Refiners Spend Millions to Protect Billions in Record Profits.

November 10, 2015  ·  Liza Tucker

Californians have paid $7.5 billion more than they should have for their gasoline since California’s record gasoline price spike began in February of 2015, according to a Consumer Watchdog analysis of state and federal data. That amounts to $314 per California driver.…

Ask for Your Free Jerry Brown Oil Map

November 10, 2015  ·  Carmen Balber

<p style="font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: larger;">According to the Associated Press, Gov. Jerry Brown used public employees to investigate the potential for finding oil on his private land.

JERRY’S MAPGATE?

November 10, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>DRIVING THE DAY -- That recent AP investigation which revealed that Gov. Jerry Brown </b>asked state workers to make a detailed assessment of his 2,700 acre Colusa County family ranch for mining and oil drilling possibilities has kicked up a cloud of controversy, including one consumer group that’s now urging every state landowner to take advantage of the same treatment.</p>

Following Gov. Brown, Californians Seek Oil Records On Their Land

November 10, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>If Gov. Jerry Brown can have state employees check his family’s land for oil, so can you.</p> <p>About 200 people in the last week have asked California’s oil regulating agency for maps and records showing the potential for oil and natural gas drilling on their property.</p>

Pump Prices Down A Bit, But Inexplicable Gas Gouging Continues

November 10, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The days when oil companies could credibly deny they’re gouging California drivers just because they’ve dropped pump prices a bit appear now to be over.</p> <p>For every measuring stick except a comparison with the price of gasoline four months ago leads to the unmistakable conclusion that this state’s three biggest gasoline refiners — Valero, Tesoro and Chevron — are still gouging customers like they did at mid-summer, when prices topped $4 per gallon in many places.</p>

No Deal! Judge Rejects DWP Multi-Million Dollar Overbilling Settlement

November 3, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A judge once again Tuesday declined to accept a proposed settlement meant to resolve tens of millions of dollars in overpayment by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers amid the agency’s troubled $181 million billing system overhaul.</p> <p>Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle suggested about a dozen revisions to the settlement deal, which has divided plaintiffs in a class- action lawsuit against the DWP. When the proposed settlement was first submitted to him in September, Berle instructed the plaintiffs to work out a revised deal.</p>

Judge Proposes $17M Penalty For Improper Utility Talks

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) - A state judge recommended Monday that one of California's largest utilities pay a nearly $17 million penalty for engaging in improper talks with regulators related to the now-closed San Onofre nuclear power plant.</p>

SCE May Face $16-Million Fine — Utility failed To Report Some Talks With Regulators Over The San Onofre Shutdown

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A state administrative law judge has proposed a $16.7-million fine against Southern California Edison for failing to report talks that utility representatives had with regulators over the closed San Onofre nuclear plant.<br /> The ruling by Administrative Law Judge Melanie Darling is subject to final approval by the California Public Utilities Commission.</p> <p><br /> Maureen Brown, an Edison spokeswoman, said the utility was reviewing the ruling.</p>

Judge Consulted Edison On San Onofre Deal

October 21, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Utilities commission says call was appropriate, critics say regulator is compromised</b></p> <p style="">As criticism mounted last year of a settlement deal that billed utility customers for 70 percent of the $4.7 billion cost of failure at the San Onofre nuclear plant, the state judge assigned to the case reached out to plant owner Southern California Edison.</p> <p style="">The California Public Utilities Commission, which employs Administrative Law Judge Melanie Darling, says the call was appropriate, and even an efficient way to oversee the plant’s shutdown.</p>

Driverless Cars Could Go On Sale By 2018, Says Former GM Exec

October 21, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Driverless electric cars are closer to becoming a reality, but issues still exist.</b></p> <p>Nearly 3,000 roadway deaths could be prevented worldwide every day if humans could be removed from the driving equation. Nobody’s talking about taking people out of their cars, but rather, taking them out of the driver’s seat.</p>

Eyes Open, Governor’s Panel Takes On Gas Price Manipulation By Oil Refiners

October 16, 2015  ·  Cody Rosenfield

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2910" alt="" height="177" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/screen_shot_2015-10-16_at_12.06.53_pm.png" style="float: right;" width="243" />Being at the California Energy Commission to testify about how California oil refiners manipulated prices at the pump Tuesday was like prosecuting a case against a defendant who refused to show.<br /> <br />

Panel Weighs Easing ARB’S Clean Fuel Rule To Prevent Gas Price Spikes

October 16, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>An expert energy advisory panel may recommend that state regulators consider easing the air board's clean fuel standards under certain circumstances to help prevent gasoline price spikes, along with several other options including the establishment of a "strategic inventory" of California-compliant fuel.</p> <p>At the same time, smaller independent oil refiners in California are urging the panel to recommend that they be exempted from the state's greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program to help prevent future supply disruptions and subsequent price spikes.</p>