Energy

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

Shocked to find gambling going on in here?

December 15, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Imagine the surprise of the nation's biggest banking executives when the President revealed that their lobbyists in Washington (the ones the commercial banks have paid <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/indusclient.php?lname=F03&year=2009">$36 million this year</a>) are opposing financial reform. Gasp!...

Bust the filibuster, not health reform

December 15, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

If the White House really wants historic health care reform and climate change legislation, there is one good alternative left. Change the number of votes to stop a filibuster in the US Senate to 57 from the current 60 votes.

CHP Withholds Costs Of Protecting Schwarzenegger

December 12, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

"The governor is interested in saving taxpayer dollars any way he can, which is why he has always paid for his own travel, food and lodging," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. Yet California paid an undisclosed sum for CHP officers to travel alongside the governor. Doug Heller of Consumer Watchdog said that if Schwarzenegger believes the state should not absorb his travel costs, the governor should also pay travel expenses for his CHP protection. "The governor apparently recognizes the problem with a nearly insolvent state paying for his gallivanting around the world, and he has looked to outside entities to pay for that," Heller said. "He's publicized that taxpayers aren't on the hook for these trips. But that's not even true because his own security detail costs thousands upon thousands for each trip."

Rachelle Chong won’t be confirmed for 2nd term at CPUC

December 9, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

California Public Utilities Commissioner Rachelle Chong - the force behind California's land-line telephone service deregulation - will not be confirmed for a 2nd term, according to the <a...

Political Chess Played On California Initiatives

December 4, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

These are very uncertain and contentious times in California. The state's economic and political turmoil has spawned a flood of potentially far-reaching ballot measures for the 2010 elections... When auto insurer Mercury General filed an initiative to legalize premium discounts to longtime customers, thus changing Proposition 103, a 1988-vintage auto insurance law, sponsor Consumer Watchdog floated a rival measure broadly attacking insurers' practices. It appears to be a warning that should Mercury proceed, it and other insurers risk losing more than they would gain.

California Gaming Tribes Top Campaign Donors

November 24, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

A handful of wealthy California gaming tribes - which together gave nearly $130 million to political causes in 2008 - rank as the nation's largest special-interest donors to campaigns, according to a study released Monday. Consumer groups say the trend is disturbing - and should be monitored carefully. "The adage that you've got to spend money to make money applies in politics as much as anywhere," says Doug Heller, who heads Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica. "Where big money is at stake - and with gambling rights, it's huge money at stake - the campaign contributions flow faster than the Colorado."

Lobbyists Spending Big To Shape Health Care Debate

November 23, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Sen. Max Baucus will be busy the next few weeks trying to steer a massive health care reform bill through Congress, but he will not be so busy that he won't be able to find time to hit Washington's fundraising party circuit. Watchdog groups have long complained that private gatherings where legislators mingle with lobbyists affect the lawmakers' judgment on important policies and regulations that affect lobbyists' corporate clients. "It's a concern, because it's hard for the public to tell if lawmakers are making decisions based on political beliefs or on the influence and access from campaign contributions by big industry," said Carmen Balber, Washington director for Consumer Watchdog.

Insurers Offer Green Incentives

October 15, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Climate Change Seen As Costly To Industry Citing fears of rising costs from climate change, insurance companies have begun changing the terms of their policies to encourage customers to act more green. For instance, State Farm, one of California's biggest auto insurers, provides a lower rate for people who drive below 7,500 miles per year and a higher rate if they exceed that level. "How does a rule like that incentivize anybody who drives, say, 12,000 miles per year to reduce their driving," Heller said. "They'll never get down to 7,500, so why try?"

Why Californians Are Paying Even More For Gas

September 24, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Californians usually pay more for gasoline than do other Americans. But not this much more. A gallon of regular now costs, on average, $3.14 in the Golden State. The national average is $2.54, according to the AAA auto club. That 60-cent difference is twice the norm. Consumer advocates say this summer's big disparity between prices in California and the rest of the nation shows the stranglehold refiners have on the Golden State's economy. "We are a relative island in production of our gasoline formula, so it's easy to game," said Judy Dugan, research director for the Consumer Watchdog advocacy group. "You make a little less so you can charge more - like any product."

GOP Legislator Quits Over Taped Sex Comments

September 10, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Assemblyman Mike Duvall bragged about affairs with two women, one said to be a utility's lobbyist. California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown declined to comment on calls from consumer advocates that he launch a criminal investigation. Duvall's "votes on utility issues should be investigated to determine whether they were compromised," said Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica.

Mike Duvall Sex Scandal: Did He Break Lobbying Rules?

September 10, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

The GOP California lawmaker who was caught on video making sexual boasts is being investigated for a reported tryst with an energy lobbyist. Already, watchdog groups are calling it an example of the all-too-close relationship between lobbyists and lawmakers in Sacramento. “The blatancy and the arrogance of this instance is a wake-up call to get much tougher limits on lobbying,” says Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group. “It’s not a new problem.”

Oil Speculators On The Run

September 2, 2009 · Consumer Watchdog

Government may clamp down on banks, funds and others that don't actually use crude. But will new rules bring down prices? "Using an essential commodity as [an investment tool] is crazy," said Judy Dugan, research director at Consumer Watchdog. "If you want a double dip recession, let's just get $100 oil again." Dugan is part of a growing chorus of people calling for greater government oversight of the commodities markets, where oil contracts are traded. The government agency that regulates those markets, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is starting to listen.