Dec. 29, 2012 By Joseph Perkins Most lawmakers in Sacramento have no idea who Robert K. Merton was. But they almost certainly are familiar with terms the late great American social scientist introduced into the popular lexicon, including “unintended consequences.” An apt example of ...
Posts Tagged ‘PG&E’Solar power fries ratepayersSaturday, December 29th, 2012Lax CPUC oversight lets PG&E gouge ratepayersMonday, November 26th, 2012Editor's note: This is Part 1 of two. Part 2 is here. Nov. 26, 2012 By Katy Grimes As the price of natural gas has fallen to a decade low, utility ratepayers wouldn’t know it. Utility costs continue to explode. Given the low cost of natural gas, Pacific Gas & Electric’s lates... The Dirty Secrecy of Clean Energy CostsMonday, March 19th, 2012MARCH 19, 2012 By DAVE ROBERTS “Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” said Supreme Court Justice Lewis Brandeis regarding the need for governmental transparency – but apparently not when it comes to solar power and other renewable energy sources. California has embarked on an ambitious, un... PG&E Fine A Slap On The WristTuesday, November 8th, 2011Katy Grimes: The largest fine ever levied by the California Public Utility Commission was just handed down to PG&E for the 2008 Christmas Eve gas line explosion in Rancho Cordova, which destroyed a home and killed the occupant, Wilbert Paana, 72. The blast also injured five others. Inves... CPUC Stuck In Culture of CorruptionMonday, October 17th, 2011 OCT. 17, 2011 It is shameful to punish the puppy when the pack leader is at fault. It is no different in the workplace and the corporate world -- failure and corruption are usually the fault of the top dogs. Two recent examples are Pacific Gas & Electric and the California Public Utility C... Feds Blast PG&E and Utilities CommissionThursday, September 1st, 2011 Sept. 1, 2011 By KATY GRIMES Why it took two deadly gas pipeline explosions for Pacific, Gas and Electric and the California Public Utilities Commission to admit complacency is the subject of a scathing report just completed by the National Transportation Safety Board. Utility customers and... Chino Hills’ Monster TowersThursday, August 18th, 2011Katy Grimes: Assemblyman Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills) brought up a menacing subject during a committee hearing this week with the California Public Utility Commission. But he didn't get answers to his questions - just yet. Following the recent release of the Independent Review Panel’s repor... Could a Gas Explosion Strike Again?Friday, August 12th, 2011AUG. 12, 2011 A culture of complacency still exists after the Sept. 9, 2010 natural-gas explosion in San Bruno, in which eight people were killed and a neighbored leveled. Seventy homes sustained damage and 18 homes adjacent to the destroyed dwellings were left uninhabitable. In October, t... |