Energy

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

Senate to consider ‘hot fuel’ fix;

August 6, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

<h3>McCaskill proposal on hot fuel would require dispensers to adjust volume for effects of temperature</h3>The Kansas City Star The legislation is being supported by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, the Consumer Federation of American, Consumers Union, and U.S. Public Interest Research Groups. "This (legislation) means hot fuel has gone national," said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, Calif. "This is a very, very important step forward."

Chevron’s profit soars in quarter

July 30, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (California) Consumer advocates have long suspected oil companies of manipulating prices, and this spring was no exception. The price spike was caused by mechanical problems at gasoline refineries -- not by an increase in the cost of crude oil -- and advocates questioned whether the oil companies weren't deliberately cutting supplies to increase the price, perhaps by extending repairs at the refineries. "You can't justify gasoline prices with oil prices, at least not in the second quarter," said Judy Dugan with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "American drivers are disproportionately paying at the pump to boost corporate bottom lines."

Chevron profit hits $5.4 billion

July 28, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

Los Angeles Times Oil company critic Judy Dugan was quick to condemn the higher refining profits. "Chevron and the other major oil companies profited greatly from failure: long outages at refineries, aging equipment and lack of new capacity," said Dugan, research director at the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. Chevron, she added, "boosted profit to a new record as consumers paid outrageous prices at the pump."

ExxonMobil makes $10 billion on record gas prices

July 26, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

<h3>But profit falls from last year on lower natural gas sales and doesn't top its previous record quarter.</h3>CNNMoney.com "Oil companies are making outrageous profits on gasoline, even when they make less of it," Judy Dugan, research director of the advocacy group OilWatchdog, said earlier this week in a statement.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Big Oil’s impact on research is debated

July 15, 2007 · John M. Simpson

The San Francisco Chronicle John Simpson of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, based in Santa Monica, sees university affiliations as attractive to an industry trying to change its image but perilous to universities if safeguards are not put in place to protect their independence and reputation. "When you have that amount of money coming in to a place, the mere presence of the money can have a substantial impact on the behavior of the university, and that means that it's all the more necessary that specific safeguards go into place that prevent the university's good name from being taken advantage of," he said.

Experts reject proposal on ‘hot fuel’ guidelines;

July 12, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

<h3>Consumer groups seek temperature-correcting devices on gas pumps.</h3>Los Angeles Times The disappointment was echoed by Judy Dugan of the Santa Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which estimated that hot fuel costs Californians an extra 3 cents per gallon. "California is the hot fuel capital of the world, and its motorists lose more money than in any other state," Dugan said. "The science of hot fuel is simple and the loss to consumers is undeniable. Lawmakers have to stand up to oil industry pressure and do what's right for motorists."

A fix for ‘hot fuel’ faces decisive vote

July 11, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

The Kansas City Star Judy Dugan, research director of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights in Santa Monica, Calif., countered that hot fuel was costing consumers billions of dollars annually in additional fuel costs. She said delaying action by this "supposedly independent group" was unwarranted. "To say this issue needs more study is simply duplicitous," Dugan said.

Pulling back the green curtain

July 10, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

We all know about Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's meddling-by-proxy to <a href="http://arnoldwatch.org/blogs/blogs_001051.php3">slow down implementation of California's global warming bill</a>. Now we find...

Paying for ‘Ghost Gas’

July 9, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

Day to Day Program - National Public Radio (NPR) Ms. JUDY DUGAN (Research Director, Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights): This is what's caused drivers for years to say, gosh, I get worse gas mileage in the summer, because it's gasoline that's being sold in a way that fundamentally works against the consumer and costs you about 50 cents a tankful.

Fired Enviro Regulators Reveal Arnold Interfered on Donors’ Behalf

July 6, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

Does the governor regularly coordinate meetings between his biggest donors and top regulators? That's the first question Arnold has to answer after revelations made today by Catherine Witherspoon and Robert Sawyer, the Air Resources Board...

Md. launches anti ‘hot fuel’ campaign

July 4, 2007 · Consumer Watchdog

The Frederick News-Post (Maryland) Hot fuel could cost the consumer $1.5 billion over the summer, according to a congressional study. When the temperature reached 90 degrees, the average motorist may pay an extra $1.44 to fill up, according to The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. A study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found fuel is dispensed on average at 5 degrees warmer than the federal standard.

Call to address; iPhone worries

July 3, 2007 · Harvey Rosenfield

The Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia) Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights has warned Apple CEO Steve Jobs and CEO of AT&T Stan Sigman they need to agree to new consumer safeguards for the iPhone. In a letter to the two CEOs, FTCR founder Harvey Rosenfield has called on them to address two serious potential problems -- the issue of battery replacement and the cancellation penalty the pair have said they will impose on anyone wanting to get out of the two-year contract they have to sign for when they buy their iPhone.