Energy

Special Report: Will The Leak At Porter Ranch & PUC-Gate Ruin Brown’s Legacy?

Submitted by Jamie Court on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 19:06

Does Jerry Brown see that the stink from the growing natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon and other utility scandals could also be the cloud that tarnishes his legacy after four terms of having voters’ favor?

Capitol Watchdog: Upcoming Meetings to Watch

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 11:58

This week marks the first public hearing into the Department of Motor Vehicles' new draft regulations for robot cars. In December, the DMV came out with strong safety protections requiring cars have a steering wheel, gas and brake pedals so humans can take over the cars. Google attacked the rules, but proved the DMV's point when its own data showed that human drivers had to take control of Google robot cars 341 times to avoid a crash or because technology failed.

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EXCLUSIVE: Video of Congressional Blowup at Torrance Refinery Explosion Hearing

Submitted by Cody Rosenfield on Thu, 01/14/2016 - 11:06

In a fiery hallway exchange last night at Torrance City Hall, Congressman Ted Lieu rightfully exchanged angry words with Exxon executive Roger Conant, the Refinery Process Manager, about Exxon's refusal to respond to all subpoenas, “I am protecting the residents of Torrance."

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Exxon's Torrance Explosion Could Have Been A Catastrophe

Submitted by Liza Tucker on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 16:57
When Exxon’s Torrance refinery exploded last February, it injured four workers and took down an air pollution filtration system twelve stories high. That hobbled a refinery feeding Southern California 20 percent of its gasoline, and exacerbated a gasoline price spike. Californians wound up paying $10 billion more for their gasoline than elsewhere in 2015 as refineries gouged and gorged on swollen refining profits.
 

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Oil Prediction: Another Year of Gouging Or a Year of Courage?

Submitted by Cody Rosenfield on Tue, 12/29/2015 - 15:03
For California, 2015 was the year of the price spike. Could 2016 be the year of courage? 
 
A year ago, Consumer Watchdog warned that the oil industry would use 2015 to raise gas prices for huge profits and to push its political agenda. Predictably, the industry obscenely raised prices, making 2015  a record year for California gas prices compared to the national average. In Los Angeles, consumers are still paying over a dollar more than the rest of the nation.

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Taking the Public Out of the Public Utilities Commission

Submitted by Liza Tucker on Tue, 12/22/2015 - 08:44
We know about Governor Jerry Brown's utility friends and the top staffers he handpicked from their ranks. We know about his protection of the secretive Public Utilities Commission (PUC) by vetoing reform bills. We know about the PUC’s protection of Brown himself in refusing to release more than 60 emails that might link him to the commission’s utility-brokered deal to put billions  on the backs of ratepayers to shut down a defective nuclear power plant.  
 

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