Oil

Capitol Watchdog: Upcoming Meetings to Watch

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Tue, 02/02/2016 - 13:36

Consumer Watchdog will present new evidence at the upcoming Petroleum Market Advisory Committee meeting to show that refiners have used market power to raise gas prices. The committee will be discussing recommendations for the legislature on how to fix the California petroleum industry.

Details on that, the DTSC's Independent Panel Review, which will be discussing the scandal surrounding the now-shuttered Exide battery recycler, and the FPPC's move to close a loophole that allows lobbyists to avoid registering, below.

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Loophole Would Keep Lobbyist Spending In Shadows

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 12:11
UPDATE, Thursday Jan 21: The Fair Political Practices Commission approved new rules requiring lobbying interests to report tens of millions in shadowy payments to influence the legislature. But the FPPC’s failure to close a loophole could make the rules moot by allowing companies to funnel those funds through a middle-man and continue keeping most of their spending in the dark.
 

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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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