Energy

Insurers are poison, says GOP deceiver-in-chief

May 8, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> It's not a household name, but Frank Luntz is the brilliant deceiver of the GOP who in 2002 <a href="http://www.oilwatchdog.org/articles/?storyId=22039">taught the Bush Administration </a>to say that drilling for oil is just "exploration" and global warming is just "climate change." Now comes his <a href="http://www.politico.com/static/PPM116_luntz.html">new treatise</a> on how the GOP can kill health reform with perfect messaging. Yet the most striking statement is this: "We suggest ratcheting up the rhetoric against insurance companies to almost the same degree as you do against Washington bureaucracy." Even the guy who made global warming sound tame can't see anything good about insurance companies. </p>

$2 Gas Flows Again In State Summer Driving Season, Blend Changeover Cited

May 7, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

The Arkansas average price for regular gasoline topped $2 on Wednesday for the first time in more than six months. Demand for gasoline nationally was down another 1 percent last month, said Judy Dugan, researcher for Consumer Watchdog. "Yet prices are being shoved up by market speculation on nothing but hope that people will drive more," she added.

California Legislators Hire Pals, Ex-Colleagues With No Bidding

May 4, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Doug Heller of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group that monitors Capitol spending, said politicians only increase public cynicism when they appear to play favorites. "I just wish that elected officials would understand how important it is for them to reconnect with the public rather than constantly make choices that raise questions," Heller said.<br /> </p>

Costco Settles ‘Fair Fuel’ Lawsuit

April 27, 2009  ·  Judy Dugan

<p> NEW YORK, NY -- Costco last week agreed to settle a lawsuit over the sale of hot gasoline -- gasoline above 60 degrees that expands, but is not accounted for at the pumps, resulting in consumers receiving less gasoline than they pay for. </p>

Change, But Not Resolution, Since Big West Refinery’s Shutdown

April 25, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> Now that the refinery is idle except for basic maintenance and safety operations, other refineries have been able to bridge the gap, said Susanne Garfield, spokeswoman for the state Energy Commission. But Judy Dugan, research director of Santa Monica's Consumer Watchdog, said that could change. "When the economy recovers... demand is going to go up, especially for diesel," she said. </p>

Costco Gas Prices Will Be Adjusted For Heat Expansion

April 23, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Costco Wholesale Inc. has agreed to install new gasoline pumps at stores in California and 13 other states that will adjust prices when fuel temperatures rise above the industry standard of 60 degrees. "This is fantastic news for consumers," said Judy Dugan, research director of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based advocacy group. "Costco is taking the lead in offering drivers gasoline that has the same amount of energy in every gallon, living up to its reputation as a consumer-friendly place to shop."<br />

Costco Offer Would Fix Hot Fuel

April 23, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

For the first time in the U.S., a gasoline retailer has plans to fix hot fuel. Costco Warehouse Inc. has agreed to change its fuel pumps in several states so they compensate customers for the lower energy value of hotter-than-average gas and diesel. "Hurrah for Costco," said Judy Dugan, research director for Consumer Watchdog, a California public interest group. "Costco has a reputation for consumer friendliness, and frankly this carries that forward." Dugan said Costco had been under pressure from the oil industry not to settle.

Costco To Install Hot Fuel Sensors

April 22, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

Big warehouse discounter Costco has reportedly agreed to put in the equipment needed to ensure you get all the gas you pay for. The advocacy group Consumer Watchdog says an announcement is expected any day now.

Lawsuit Over Gas Pricing Revived

April 4, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>An appeals court rules that a class-action case alleging a conspiracy by oil refiners in the 1990s should proceed.</strong><br /> The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday revived a class-action lawsuit accusing Arco, Chevron and several other refiners of conspiring to fix gasoline prices during the mid-1990s. But the same panel expressed doubt that the plaintiffs would be able to prove their case. Judy Dugan of Consumer Watchdog said she wasn't sure whether the case could be proven, but added that "almost any gas station will tell you that the refiners are fixing the price to keep it high." Dugan said that the state attorney general's office "ought to demand more and better information from refineries about what they pay and on exactly how they set their prices." </p>

What does the “public” in “public option” really mean?

March 31, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

On Friday, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) spoke about his health care plan at the Center for American Progress.  You can listen to the Senator's remarks <a href="http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/SenBaucus-HCReform3-27-09-sm.mov">here.</a>

Will the politicians give back their AIG bonuses’?

March 19, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> After Enron's fraud on California during the 2001 electricity crisis became clear, a lot of politicians felt they had to give back their Enron contributions.  Our consumer group was the beneficiary of a few of those returned dollars, since we fought the energy industry's deregulation schemes.  Now Open Secrets reports <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000123">AIG's contributions</a>, from employees and related political action committees, to federal lawmakers totaled $9.3 million over the last decade, with an exact 50%-50% split between Democrats and Republicans. AIG sure knows how to hedge its bets. </p>

No Benefit To Motorists In A ‘Hot Fuel’ Fix, State Panel Says

March 12, 2009  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p> <strong>California Energy Commission says the costs of compensating for gasoline temperature would outweigh the gains in fuel volume.</strong> </p> <p> Amid allegations of conflict of interest, the five members of the California Energy Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to tell lawmakers there was no benefit to fixing service station pumps to end an inequity that may be costing Californians millions of dollars a year. Activists charge that the vote was tainted because the lead commissioner on the case, James Boyd, is married to an executive vice president of the Western States Petroleum Assn., an oil industry group in Sacramento. Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog says documents it recently obtained under the California Public Records Act suggest that Boyd used his influence to manipulate findings in a staff draft report so they might favor some oil companies. </p>