Wildfire Survivors, Consumer Groups, Insurers, Public Entities Oppose Limits on Survivors’ Rights At Hearings In CA Capitol On CEA SB 254 Report

Oil Permits Surge In First Q 2026 With Majority For Dangerous Extraction Techniques; Watchdogs Warn New State Drilling Law Unfair

Watchdog Warns of Continued Gasoline Price Spikes Without Promised Energy Commission Rules

Energy

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

Facts of Life on High Gas Prices: It’s the Speculators & Oil Companies to Blame, Not Middle East

March 8, 2011 · Jamie Court

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Progressives-Guide-Raising-Hell-Grassroots/dp/1603582932"><img class=" size-full wp-image-1992" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/raisinghellcover.gif" style="width: 158px; height: 250px;" width="158" height="250" /></a>While skirmishes in Libya and uncertainty in the Middle East are nice cover for outrageous gasoline prices, the fact is the same old suspects are making a killing from sky-high gas prices approaching $4 dollars per gallon in California: big oil companies and greedy speculators.

Glenn Beck Is Raising Your Gasoline Prices

March 1, 2011 · Judy Dugan

<img class=" size-full wp-image-1984" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/thumb_1.png" style="width: 200px; height: 143px;" width="300" height="214" />OK, it’s not all Glenn Beck’s Fault that you’re paying $3.40 or $3.70 or even $4.00 a gallon at the pump. But his fear-based take on democracy movements in the Middle East (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/glenn-beck-egypt-caliphate-conspiracy-theory_n_818564.html">oh, the caliphate!</a>) gives cover to the speculative traders who jack up oil and gasoline prices without a trace of supply and demand reason.

Fracking Congress Finally Wakes to Natgas Danger

March 1, 2011 · Judy Dugan

<img class=" size-full wp-image-1986" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/fracking.png" style="width: 250px; height: 178px;" width="300" height="214" />Congress–or at least a few Democrats in Congress–are at last investigating the explosive and toxic dangers of deep drilling for natural gas–the newest, hottest fad in the oil and gas industry. From The Hill’s <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/146491-top-house-democrats-launch-investigation-into-fracking-on-public-lands">energy and environment blog</a>:

Mr. Koch, the Governor Is On the Line

February 24, 2011 · Judy Dugan

<img class=" size-full wp-image-1978" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/thumb_0.png" style="width: 200px; height: 143px;" width="300" height="214" />The hilarity of the day: A journalist at a little online alternative magazine, <a href="http://www.buffalobeast.com/">the Buffalo Beast,</a> made a cold call to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Posing as energy megabillionaire and Tea Party funder David Koch, Beast editor Ian Murphy not only got past some oblivious staff members to get Walker on the phone, the Tea Party-backed governor spilled a dirty-tricks plan to deceive opposing legislators.

Golden Wasteland: Regulating Toxics or Toxic Regulation

February 9, 2011 · Liza Tucker

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY—4 The Permitting Universe Map—9 DTSC Active Corrective-action sites map—10 Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPA) Map—11 HOW WE GOT HERE—12 LOOKING THE OTHER WAY—19 Chevron Richmond Refinery Overview—24 Juggling Jurisdictions Map—25 KEEP THE CLIENT…

1,500 People Against the Koch’s Dirty Money, Dirty Energy

January 31, 2011 · Judy Dugan

<img class=" size-full wp-image-1937" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/images_polarbear2_0.png" style="width: 300px; height: 176px;" width="371" height="218" />(Rancho Mirage, CA) -- A year ago, it's unlikely that 15 people would have shown up for a rally against the Koch brothers, owners of the largest privately owned corporation in the U.S, even in the middle of L.A. or New York. Today, in the desert town of Rancho Mirage, 1,500 showed up, protesting the brothers' plutocratic, climate-change-denying, democracy-thieving ways.

Pushing Back Against the Kochs

January 30, 2011 · Judy Dugan

Sunday Forecast: Disturbances for Koch Meeting

January 28, 2011 · Judy Dugan

$4 Gas? Blame the Big-Bucks Lobby–and the White House

January 25, 2011 · Judy Dugan

California Lawmakers Rack Up Gasoline Tabs

January 25, 2011 · Mark Reback

While Gov. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/jerry-brown/">Jerry Brown</a> struggles to erase $25 billion in red ink from the state budget by slashing everything from cell phones to staff, California lawmakers routinely rack up thousands of dollars in bills annually with a political perk unique in the country - no-limit, state-issued gasoline credit cards.

Do you know where your gas taxes are going?

January 24, 2011 · Judy Dugan

In Bow to Political Realities, Brown Avoids Big Guns

January 17, 2011 · Mark Reback

SACRAMENTO -- Some big targets were left largely untouched in Gov. Jerry Brown's call for shared sacrifice in his proposed budget. In his plan to raise $12 billion in taxes, Brown avoided a source of revenue Democrats have been going after for years: oil severance fees. Extra taxes on alcohol, tobacco and the wealthy, also targets of Democrats in recent years, were also bypassed.