Source: Utility Dive | By Kavya Balaraman

But Mark Toney, executive director of ratepayer advocacy group The Utility Reform Network, said that the administrative law judge’s proposed decision “got it right in terms of making an evidence-based decision that insulating the overhead power lines is not only faster and cheaper, but when you look at the safety benefit analysis, turns out to be as safe – if not a tiny bit more safe – than burying the lines.” On the broader issue of balancing the safety and affordability of the electric grid, Toney stressed that utilities can’t have a blank check approach to safety. “ You need to figure out how do you get the most safety for the most cost-effectiveness — and the reason is because there’s not unlimited funding,” he said.

This September, the CPUC issued two proposals in response to PG&E’s general rate case request which cover the utility’s operational and infrastructure costs from 2023 through 2026. California utilities file general rate case applications with state regulators every four years, during which regulators scrutinize the revenues the utility will need for that period. PG&E’s latest application sought a $15.41 billion, $16.34 billion, $16.98 billion and $17.43 billion revenue requirement for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Source: KPBS | By Erik Anderson & Bennett Lacy

The Utility Reform Network (TURN) is calling on California’s utilities to do a better job of preparing customers for higher bills if they see a price spike coming. TURN argues San Diego’s fortune 500 energy company could have done much better. “Sempra — the parent company of SDG&E that buys all this gas — did a very poor job,” said Mark Toney, executive director of TURN. “They failed last year to do proper management to keep the prices down. Winter comes every year, and every year there needs to be good management of buying ahead of time, storing the right amount of gas.” Toney gave Pacific Gas and Electric higher marks for minimizing the cost to consumers by buying natural gas in the summer, when prices were cheaper, and by having more of the fuel in storage in the winter.

Utility regulators are already looking ahead to California’s winter in an effort to determine if natural gas prices will spike into record territory like last year. The California Public Utilities Commission gathered with industry officials on Thursday for a briefing on the regional natural gas market.

Source: CNBC | By Katie Brigham

“If we keep pushing up electricity rates, the most vulnerable of us are not going to be able to pay,” says Katy Morsony, a staff attorney with The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group that supports a more limited approach to undergrounding.

While Martin says moving power lines underground reduces ignition risk by 98%, it comes at a steep cost. Data compiled by the California Public Utilities Commission shows that undergrounding just one mile costs anywhere between $1.85 million and $6.1 million, meaning PG&E’s total plan would likely be in the tens of billions. The bill would be footed by PG&E’s customers, who already face some of the highest rates in the nation.

Source: The Mercury News | By Editorial Board of The Mercury News and The East Bay Times

TURN executive director Mark Toney says that it would be significantly cheaper for PG&E to insulate its power lines, rather than bury them underground, as a way to protect against catastrophic wildfires. The two proposals would have PG&E insulate 1,800 miles of power lines and bury 200 miles of power lines at a cost of $2.1 billion. PG&E proposes insulating 320 miles and burying 2,000 miles of power lines at a cost of $5.9 billion.

Source: 2 News | By Josh Many

"Enough is enough, we need to keep these electricity rates down especially if they're going to push everybody to electricity," said The Utility Reform Network (TURN) Executive Director Mark Toney

TURN is pressuring PG&E, Pacific Gas to keep the cost of electricity down as California aggressively pursues more electrification of the energy system.

"People can adapt to go from gas to electric. They are mad when they're told you have to pay more to cook your food. The winning argument is to say, we want you to switch to electricity and your going to save money," said Toney.

Congressman LaMalfa evoked communities hit hard by power outages last winter in towns like Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.

He contends banning gas engines and appliances in those communities would put residents in dangerous circumstances, particularly because the electricity grid has proven unreliable.

Source: CBS News | By Tori Apodaca

The Utility Reform Network, which advocates on behalf of ratepayers, has argued that a faster and cheaper way to reduce wildfire risk is to insulate power lines instead of burying them.

It appears the commission agrees. Both of its proposals would approve rate increases sufficient to bury less than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of lines.

Still, "both proposed decisions adopt substantial and painful increases to monthly bills, far beyond the cost of inflation, which (we believe) should be a cap for bill increases," said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network.

Power bills for about 16 million people in Northern California will likely increase after state regulators released two rate proposals for one of the nation's largest utilities Wednesday.

The California Public Utilities Commission is finishing up its once-every-four-years review of Pacific Gas & Electric, the Oakland-based utility that provides electric and gas service to a 70,000-square-mile (181,000-square-kilometer) area in northern and central parts of the state. The commission must approve how much PG&E can charge customers and how it will spend that money.

Source: The San Joaquin Valley Sun | By Daniel Gligich

“[B]oth proposed decisions adopt substantial and painful increases to monthly bills, far beyond the cost of inflation, which (we believe) should be a cap for bill increases,” The Utility Reform Network Executive Director Mark Toney told the Associated Press.

Ratepayer advocate The Utility Reform Network has offered a different solution for PG&E to keep rates from increasing: insulating the power lines instead of moving them underground. Advocates argue that PG&E could save money and protect more lines through insulation.

Source: Caledonian Record | By Adam Beam

The Utility Reform Network, which advocates on behalf of ratepayers, said one proposal would increase the bill for a typical residential customer by $28 a month by 2026. They estimate the other proposal would increase the typical residential bill by $24 per month.

“Both proposed decisions adopt substantial and painful increases to monthly bills, far beyond the cost of inflation, which (we believe) should be a cap for bill increases,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network.

Power bills for about 16 million people in Northern California will likely increase after state regulators released two rate proposals for one of the nation's largest utilities Wednesday.

The California Public Utilities Commission is finishing up its once-every-four-years review of Pacific Gas & Electric, the Oakland-based utility that provides electric and gas service to a 70,000-square-mile (181,000-square-kilometer) area in northern and central parts of the state. The commission must approve how much PG&E can charge customers and how it will spend that money.

Source: KCRA | By Adam Beam

The Utility Reform Network, which advocates on behalf of ratepayers, has argued that a faster and cheaper way to reduce wildfire risk is to insulate power lines instead of burying them.

It appears the commission agrees. Both of its proposals would approve rate increases sufficient to bury less than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) of lines.

Still, "both proposed decisions adopt substantial and painful increases to monthly bills, far beyond the cost of inflation, which (we believe) should be a cap for bill increases," said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network.

Power bills for about 16 million people in Northern California will likely increase after state regulators released two rate proposals for one of the nation's largest utilities Wednesday.

The California Public Utilities Commission is finishing up its once-every-four-years review of Pacific Gas & Electric, the Oakland-based utility that provides electric and gas service to a 70,000-square-mile (181,000-square-kilometer) area in northern and central parts of the state. The commission must approve how much PG&E can charge customers and how it will spend that money.

Source: The Mercury News | By George Avalos

“Both proposed decisions adopt painful increases to monthly bills, far beyond the cost of inflation cap for bill increases advocated by TURN,” said Mark Toney, TURN’s executive director. …

“This was a sound rejection of PG&E’s proposal of only insulating 320 miles of power lines and burying 2,000 miles of power lines, which would cost $5.9 billion,” TURN stated.

The proposal from the administrative law judge correlates closely with TURN’s plan to insulate 1,800 miles of power lines and bury 200 miles of power lines, at a total cost of $2.1 billion, according to Toney.

“Both proposed decisions supported TURN’s position that insulating overhead power lines is faster and cheaper for wildfire safety than burying lines,” Toney said.

This week, officials with the state Public Utilities Commission that regulates PG&E issued two proposals that would allow the utility to increase the amount of revenue it can extract from ratepayers in 2023. One proposal was fashioned by one of the five powerful commissioners with the state PUC while a second proposal was crafted by a PUC administrative law judge.

Under one of the proposals issued by state regulators, PG&E customers would face a jump of $28 a month in their utility bills, according to estimates released Thursday by The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a consumer group.

The other proposal isn’t much better: PG&E customers would face a jump of $24 a month, TURN’s calculations show.

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune | By Rob Nikolewski

Mark Toney, executive director at The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a ratepayer advocacy group, said the audit raised a number of red flags.

“I think the bottom line is that the utilities are simply not being held accountable by the regulators, and that the regulators need to figure out a way to do a better job,” Toney said. “If they need more resources, if they need more staff, they should ask for it in their budget because everyone who is a (utility) customer is a captive. You can’t go and choose another provider, particularly when it comes to poles and wires.”

A deep dive by the California state auditor did not find any easy fixes for the state’s sky-high utility rates but the auditor concluded the California Public Utilities Commission and its independent consumer division known as Cal Advocates need to do a better job making sure that power companies don’t overstate their costs.

Source: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom | Quotes Compiled by Governor’s Staff

Mark W. Toney, Ph.D., Executive Director, TURN—The Utility Reform Network: “TURN has long advocated for a central procurement mechanism to enable coordinated purchases of new, high-value, hard-to-develop resources. TURN welcomes working with legislative leadership and the Governor’s Office to ensure that AB 1373 language limits centralized procurement to Zero GHG renewable projects that are new resources, such as offshore wind, require robust CPUC review and approval of any new commitments, and increase transparency at DWR.”

SACRAMENTO — Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom and the Legislature reached an agreement on the Governor’s package to build more clean energy, faster and make our grid more reliable to help achieve our 100% clean electricity goal.

Since then, environmental, labor and clean energy leaders from across California have echoed their support for the Governor’s package:

Source: GV Wire | By Nancy Price

But the audit appears to be a clear signal that state officials want the PUC and Cal Advocates to sharpen their focus on how utility companies operate, claim costs, and make profits, said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network — TURN, an advocacy nonprofit.

“What it (the report) shows us is that the PUC has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to looking at the profit rates, when it comes to the question of duplication of costs,” Toney said.

State agencies responsible for approving rate increases for electricity and natural gas providers in California need to do a better job of monitoring utilities’ costs, questioning increases, and communicating with consumers, according to a new report from the state auditor.

Californians are paying some of the highest rates in the nation, the auditor noted.

Source: World Time Todays | By Rick Schindler

But Mark Toney said utility-caused wildfires are completely preventable. He is Executive Director of the tariff payers group The Utility Reform Network (TURN) in California. He is urging PG&E to isolate its lines in high-risk areas.

“We must stop the wildfires caused by utilities. We need to stop them, and the quickest and cheapest way to do that is to isolate the overhead wires,” he said.

In the early moments of the Maui fires, as high winds toppled utility poles and slammed power cords into the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames suddenly erupted in long, orderly columns — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal could produce sparks on contact.

Source: iLind | By Ian Lind

“We have a real affordability crisis for utility costs,” according to Mark Toney, executive director of a consumer group, The Utility Reform Network, or TURN. “One of the biggest cost drivers is this massive expense for burying 10,000 miles of PG&E power lines.”

TURN is promoting an alternative plan to insulate power lines rather than move them underground, similar to what is being done by Southern California Edison, which operates in the Los Angeles area.

A consumer group in California is opposing a proposal by PG&E to move 10,000 miles of its electrical transmission lines underground to avoid future wildfires caused by downed lines, according to a story on Monday in the Mercury News, formerly known as the San Jose Mercury News.

Source: SiliconValley.com | By George Avalos

“We have a real affordability crisis for utility costs,” Toney said. “One of the biggest cost drivers is this massive expense for burying 10,000 miles of PG&E power lines.” …

Toney thinks the PG&E power line burial program might provide the potential for a higher profit than the less expensive insulation option and ultimately help line the pockets of wealthy investors on Wall Street.

“PG&E’s scheme to underground power lines,” Toney said, “is the most expensive and most costly method of tackling this challenge.”

PG&E bills may hop higher if the utility lands state approval for a rate proposal that includes wide-ranging plans to bury power lines to help ward off catastrophic wildfires.

A hearing officer with the state Public Utilities Commission is expected to issue a proposed decision in the coming days on PG&E’s general rate request that could trigger an array of impacts on monthly customer bills. Among the proposals is a plan that could oblige its customers to foot the bill to bury PG&E power lines.

Source: Mercury News | By George Avalos

All of this, however, could squeeze PG&E customers who already must endure fast-rising monthly bills, warned Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN. The full state PUC is expected to make a final decision by year’s end on the rate case.

“We have a real affordability crisis for utility costs,” Toney said. “One of the biggest cost drivers is this massive expense for burying 10,000 miles of PG&E power lines.”

TURN, a consumer group, has a straightforward plan for power line safety: insulate the lines.

PG&E customers could greatly benefit from the insulation of power lines rather than a program to bury them underground, in TURN’s view.

“Insulated lines are completed much more quickly than burying the lines and at a fraction of the cost,” Toney said. “You are not waiting 10 to 20 years to get the safety you need. You are doing it within a few years.”

The cost of insulation of overhead lines would be about $800,000 a mile, Toney estimated. The cost to bury 10,000 miles of PG&E power lines is roughly $3.7 million to $5.2 million a mile, he added.

Toney, however, notes that Southern California Edison, the principal provider of electricity services in sprawling Los Angeles County and nearby regions, has embarked on a quest to insulate 8,000 miles of overhead power lines, apparently preferring that approach to bury lines.

“Covered conductor is a critical tool to quickly mitigate the threat of wildfires that could be caused by debris blowing into power lines. It helps keep our communities safe,” Steve Powell, Edison’s chief executive officer, stated in July 2022 in a prepared release.

“We support wildfire safety,” Toney said. “We don’t want bare wires all over the place.”

Toney believes that the PG&E power line burial program might oblige the company’s customers to help line the pockets of wealthy investors on Wall Street.

“PG&E’s scheme to underground power lines is the most expensive and most costly method of tackling this challenge,” Toney said. “But it does provide Wall Street investors with a $60 billion gift, paid for by consumers.”

Source: ABC7 News | By Michael Finney and Renee Koury

Katy Morsony of The Utility Reform Network says PG&E should insulate power lines instead.

"This is supposed to prevent ignitions from occurring, but it's a major inconvenience on customers. And it also can be a safety issue for people that rely on their electricity for medical devices," she said.

As California braces for the peak of wildfire season, PG&E is switching strategies to avoid sparking another blaze. The utility has focused less on tree trimming and more on circuit breakers that cut power to a possibly damaged power line. But in the East Bay, residents say the system is too sensitive, causing constant power outages.

Source: KTVU Fox 2 | By Tom Vacar

"The decision that the CPUC is about to make, PG&E could raise your monthly bill $50 or more a month," said Mark Toney, the executive director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN).

Over the lifetime of the decision — up to 20 years — TURN calculates that each customer's portion could be around $18,000. …

Over the past decade, TURN says that Southern California Edison has installed 5000 miles of insulated power lines overhead. Thus far, PG&E has buried roughly 300 miles of power lines, incurring a cost of about $3 million per mile.

"The insulating of those lines is way better for consumers. It's way better for wildfire safety, and it's just gonna be done safer and cheaper," said Toney.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) plans to unveil a proposed decision concerning PG&E's requested rate hikes.

The utility company says the increases are crucial as it aims to bury 10,000 miles of power lines as a preventative measure against wildfires in high-risk regions. This increase is substantial.

Source: ABC7 News | By ABC7 News Team (Video)

In the East Bay, residents say PG&E's new power line sensor system is too sensitive, causing constant power outages.