Man Sues Over Car’s Advertised Mileage
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<a href="http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/7_on_your_side&id=8726800">Click here to view the video of this news broadcast</a>.</p>
Energy
Energy and utility watchdog coverage — gas prices, oil-industry profits, utility rates, and clean-energy accountability.
Texas Woman Gets $1.4M Utility Bill In Error; Company Sent By Mistake Despite Flagging It
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ABILENE, Texas — A lot of people gripe when they get high summertime electric bills. But Kristin Harriger’s bill was nearly $1.4 million.</p>
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The Abilene, Texas, woman immediately called her provider, Potentia Energy. She quickly learned that her bill was an error.</p>
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The utility provider also excused a $66,000 late fee listed on the bill.</p>
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Potentia told the Abilene Reporter-News (http://bit.ly/LIdYBn ) it had flagged the bill and had marked it to be held, but the bill mistakenly got sent out.</p>
Senator, Energy Investigators Slam Refinery Price Manipulation
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<img class=" size-full wp-image-2429" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/images_oilrefinery_0.png" style="width: 270px; height: 193px;" width="300" height="214" />The energy investigators who nailed Enron for energy price manipulation that nearly bankrupted California just took aim at oil refining giants including Chevron and BP. May the refiners’ gasoline-price schemes now come crashing down in an Enron-style heap.</p>
Senator Questions Why Refineries Cut Production
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WASHINGTON -- West Coast oil refiners cut gasoline production after a fire earlier this year at a Washington state refinery, creating a supply shortage that’s left West Coast motorists now paying very high prices at a time when the rest of the nation is seeing prices plunge, according to an influential senator and a veteran energy analyst.</p>
Valero Confirms Settlement Reached In ‘Hot-Fuel’ Lawsuit
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San Antonio-based refiner Valero Energy Corp. is among a group of major fuel retailers that have agreed to settle years-old lawsuits over temperature fluctuations that may affect the pump price of their products.<br />
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System For Doling Out ‘Hydrogen Highway’ Grants Is Polluted
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Millions of dollars in "hydrogen highway" grants by a state commission are drawing cries of favoritism and collusion as they seem to guarantee that most refueling stations for the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles due to hit the road by 2017 will be owned by two large companies closely aligned with auto manufacturers.<br />
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Very quietly, the California Energy Commission is letting carmakers -- seven of the eight companies involved are foreign-owned -- decide which proposals for building hydrogen stations get the grants, authorized by a law passed in 2007.<br />
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Cool News About ‘Hot Fuel’
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The fight over “hot fuel” has gone on for years, but now there’s welcome news: Three major gasoline retailers have agreed to settle lawsuits accusing them of selling fuel that hasn’t been adjusted for temperature.</p>
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As Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog in California put it, “The wall of resistance is crumbling .…”</p>
Wal-Mart, Two Other Retailers Settle ‘Hot Fuel’ Suits
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Three companies with thousands of retail fuel pumps have agreed to settle lawsuits accusing them of shorting consumers with "hot fuel" -- gasoline and diesel sold without adjusting their volume for temperature.<br />
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Consumer Watchdog Asks Legislature to Better Protect Public From Evergreen Oil
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A letter was issued to state senators asking for "for an examination of the years-long failure of the Department of Toxic Substances Control to protect communities from dangerous industries."</p>
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A Newark refinery was identified by Consumer Watchdog as an example of a "dangerous industry" that the group says the <a href="http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/">state Department of Toxic Substances Control </a>has failed to efficiently supervise for the sake of public health and safety concerns.</p>
Viewpoints: Confirmation Puts Focus On State’s Toxic Waste
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The underbelly of industry in California is toxic waste, from the arcane chemicals used to manufacture computers to contaminated engine oil left behind after an oil change at a service station. The state has strict rules and regulations on how such waste can be disposed of or recycled – governing storage, transportation and reprocessing to protect air, soil and water. In theory, families should be safe even if a toxic waste producer is within spitting distance of their neighborhood or school.</p>
A Lot Less Fuming At The Gas Pump This Time
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<strong><img class=" size-full wp-image-9638" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/images_latgasmileagecharts.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 702px;" width="200" height="702" />People aren't nearly as angry over prices as they were in '08, for several reasons.</strong><br />
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Gas prices have soared about 15% in the last six months, hitting $3.94 a gallon average nationwide, and $4.29 in California.<br />
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The mood of motorists? Meh.<br />
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