Update: State Senate To Hold Oversight Hearing On Blackout Claims
Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker has some explaining to do to the legislature. A report out by Food & Water Watch and information obtained by the Los Angeles Times shows that the PUC and state energy regulators misrepresented Southern California's natural gas supply and capacity to make a fraudulent case for keeping Aliso Canyon's gas reserve open.
Consumer Watchdog has written legislative leaders to call for answers under oath from PUC President Michael Picker and other energy regulators about why state reports, written with the help of SEMPRA's Southern California Gas company, misrepresented Southern California's natural gas reserves and capacity to falsely invoke the threat of blackouts as way to keep Aliso in use.
“New information, uncovered by engineer Bill Powers for Food & Water Watch and the Los Angeles Times, shows two recent reports by the CPUC, DWP, Southern California Gas and state energy regulators claiming blackouts will ensue if Aliso is curtailed are based on false information and key omissions,” I wrote this morning to Senator pro Tem Kevin de Leon, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, and utility oversight committee chairs Senator Mike Gatto, and Assmbly member Ben Hueso.
Here's the rest of the letter:
“We urge you to immediately call CPUC President Michael Picker and other energy regulators to appear under oath and explain these reports’ misrepresentations and omissions, as well as to what degree Southern California Gas authored the report meant to justify its continued use of the facilities. In a recent state senate oversight hearing, Picker repeated some of the very same misrepresentations.
"The state reports, for example, fail to acknowledge a huge DWP natural gas reserve in Wyoming controlled by DWP. They also make inaccurate sta in a tements about the ability of the Honor Rancho storage field, 10 miles from Aliso Canyon and located on the same Los Angeles pipeline loop, to serve as an effective substitute for Aliso Canyon for reliability purposes. The reports mischaracterize the capacity and nature of other reserves and power plants as wells. They also use inflated estimates of electric natural gas generation demand and make unsupported statements about pipeline capacity.
"No individual authors are listed on the reports, but Southern California Gas, the owner of Aliso’s reserves, is listed as a co-author. The public deserves to know who really wrote these reports. It appears that Southern California Gas, and its parent company Sempra, concocted these misrepresentations to preserve its investment in Aliso Canyon and that the PUC and energy regulators allowed the false statements to be published without scrutiny under the state seal.
“Those of us who were active in public life in Southern California at the turn of this century remember the blackout blackmail perpetrated by the energy pirates and the utilities, including SEMPRA, Southern California Gas’s parent company, against ratepayers and taxpayers. The public deserves answers and we call upon you to use your subpoena power to demand them from Southern California Gas, Mr. Picker and the relevant state agencies.”
Blackout blackmail should not be tolerated anywhere, but particularly in the state where it was pioneered. It's time for the legislaure to push back for California citizens using subpoena power if necessary
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