Source: LA Times | By Sammy Roth

California lawmaker Dave Min has introduced a bill that would ban California utility companies from spending customer money to fight climate action. The state senator, a Democrat from Irvine, crafted his legislation in response to Sacramento Bee reporting showing how Southern California Gas Co. had attempted to spend ratepayer dollars to block climate and clean energy policies — a great reminder of the power of local journalism. You can check out the Bee’s earlier reporting, by Ari Plachta and Joe Rubin, here and here. Also see my own previous reporting on SoCalGas’ use of customer money.

The Biden administration has finalized approval of $1.1 billion to help Pacific Gas & Electric continue operating the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant past 2025, the Associated Press reports. No big surprises here; federal officials had been forecasting the move for months, as I’ve reported previously. The argument for keeping nuclear plants open longer is that unlike solar and wind farms, they can generate power around the clock. If it were up to many red-state lawmakers, though, we’d just keep burning coal. Just look at Utah, where the Salt Lake Tribune’s Tim Fitzpatrick reports legislators are making another effort to seize control of the coal-fired Intermountain power plant from the city of Los Angeles, which intends to stop burning coal there.

Source: Orange County Register | By Andre Mouchard

Shareholders, not consumers, should pay for any lobbying or other political speech undertaken by their local utility. That is the simple idea at the heart of SB938, a bill proposed this month by state Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine. The pitch comes in the wake of a 2023 investigation by the Sacramento Bee and a state report, released last August, in which the Public Advocates Office said Southern California Gas Co. billed ratepayers tens of millions of dollars to pay for political efforts aimed at changing clean-air regulations in ways that would be profitable for the utility. Min’s bill, which was filed this week and is likely to change as lawmakers debate it in coming months, would apply to privately held utilities and establish specific definitions of the types of activities that can’t be billed to ratepayers. The bill also would require public reporting on the financing of a utility’s political speech, and establish a penalty system for any violations.

Source: Daily Kos | By Dan Bacher

“At a time when customers are burdened with record breaking monthly utility bills, corporations need strong limits and meaningful penalties preventing spending of any ratepayer dollars on PR television commercials and lobbying the Public Utilities Commission to raise rates even higher,” said Mark Toney, Executive Director of The Utility Reform Network (TURN).

Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) today introduced a bill, Senate Bill (SB) 938, that will prohibit political lobbying by investor-owned utilities that can be charged to ratepayers. “While federal law technically prohibits utilities from passing lobbying costs onto their ratepayers, these laws are riddled with loopholes, which has allowed utility companies across the country to effectively engage in political lobbying using ratepayer money,” according to a statement from Min’s Office.

Source: Scot Scoop | By Emi Pajarillo

“We want the most green for the least green. The cost of greening the grid should not be cutting off low-income families,” said Mark Toney, the executive director at The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a consumer advocacy organization.“The poorer you are, the more burden is placed on you, which doesn’t make sense in a society where the wealth gap keeps expanding.” “It is not right to increase a consumption tax on necessities of life such as electricity, to fund climate change initiatives, solar subsidies, and wildfire. We need to develop better, more progressive, equitable ways to generate revenue for those important priorities,” Toney said.

Facing escalating financial pressures, customers across California struggle with Pacific Gas and Electricity’s (PG&E) increased utility rates in the new year. As of Jan. 1, PG&E is increasing customers’ monthly bills by 12.8%, resulting in an average increase of $32.50. These funds will go toward wildfire mitigation initiatives, electric capacity upgrades, and clean energy goals.

Source: Earth Justice | By Matt Vespa and Katy Morsony

Californians need more transparency around expensive advertising campaigns from their utilities. The bill codifies existing policy that utility shareholders pay for public messages that tend to enhance a utility’s public image, and adds a new requirement that every utility public message or advertisement will be required to clearly disclose whether shareholders or ratepayers funded the message.

New legislation can stop utilities like SoCalGas from abusing customer money to fight climate action. When you think about what you’re paying for in your electric and gas utility bill, you probably think of the energy powering your lights, furnace, and stove. But you may also be paying for your utility to lobby against popular clean air and climate standards.

Source: The Mercury News | By George Avalos

The soaring electric utility costs in the Bay Area alarmed Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a consumer group. Toney has harshly criticized PG&E for fast-rising utility costs that have far outpaced the general cost of living in the Bay Area. Toney also believes the state Public Utilities Commission has enabled PG&E’s sharply higher power cost by readily approving the bulk of the company’s rate requests. “More and more families on fixed incomes are being pushed to the brink of homelessness because of the unlimited rate increases for PG&E,” Toney said. “This is a crisis.”

Consumer prices in the Bay Area rose at a moderate pace in December in a hopeful sign that inflation is easing — but the cost of electricity provided by utilities such as PG&E rocketed higher, an official report shows. The Bay Area inflation rate, as measured by the region’s consumer price index, rose 2.6% in 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.

Source: Santa Rosa Press Democrat | By Marisa Endicott

Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a utility customer advocacy group, said ratepayer representatives used to have greater insight and play a bigger role in such accountability processes, but public participation and oversight has become more limited. “It’s a new pattern, and one which we are pretty unhappy about,” Toney said. The organization also voiced concern about a 2021 settlement between the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division and PG&E over the 2019 Kincade Fire, calling the deal “an abandonment of transparency and opportunities for public input.”

California Public Utilities Commission officials have again put off deciding whether to approve a controversial settlement with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. over its role in the 2021 Dixie Fire, the second largest wildfire in California history. Commissioners were set to vote on the deal Thursday after delaying a decision in late November in order to gather more information. On Monday, however, regulators again bumped a vote, this time to Jan. 25. A CPUC spokesperson said the new delay was based on a need for “further review.” The agreement reached between PG&E and the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division would penalize the utility giant $45 million, with $2.5 million going to the California General Fund and $2.5 million going to Indigenous tribes affected by the Dixie Fire.

Source: Capital and Main | By Mark Kreidler

“Talk about audacity – not only do they want to charge for what they didn’t get authorization to spend ahead of time, but they also want to collect most of the money before the commission even authorizes the retroactive amount,” said Mark Toney, head of the utility reform network TURN, which provided Capital & Main with several documents related to PG&E’s multiple requests for rate increases. “It’s certainly significant.” Toney estimated that customers will see at least $12 per month and as much as $20 per month added to their bills if the CPUC approves this latest rate hike and early collection plan. Added to the new $33 monthly increase, average annual bills could jump between $540 and $640 this year alone. Toney said that PG&E’s ultimate goal is to recover all of that overspend on the backs of its ratepayers, one hike at a time — one reason TURN is pushing for a cap on the percent of increase a utility can ask in any given year. “There simply can’t be no limits to what they can ask for,” the advocate said, but that is exactly what is in play here in 2024.

Only a few weeks after receiving approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for that roughly $400 annual rate hike late last year, PG&E went right back to the well. In a Dec. 1 filing, the utility asked the CPUC for permission to pass along another $2 billion in cost overruns as part of its ongoing process of updating wildfire mitigation and repairing storm damage.

Source: Politico | By Wes Venteicher

Consumer advocacy groups including the CPUC’s Public Advocates Office and The Utility Reform Network also oppose the proposal. TURN says it would sour moderate-income customers on the energy transition by making them pay for others’ heat pumps, and would hurt low-income customers by switching them to more-expensive electricity instead of cheaper natural gas. “We’ve got to look at the big picture here and look at where we’re going,” said Mark Toney, TURN’s executive director. “Yes, we need to electrify and we’re in support of that, but there have got to be other ways to do it.”

A proposal by Southern California Edison up for approval at this Thursday’s Public Utilities Commission meeting would charge ratepayers for 250,000 heat pumps for low-income residents. But regulators are balking at the cost. Heat pumps, as you’ll recall, are a priority of both President Joe Biden, whose Inflation Reduction Act provides tax credits of up to $2,000 for them, and Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose California Energy Commission last year set a goal of 6 million pumps by 2030. Southern California Edison laid out stark numbers in its pitch to the California Public Utilities Commission: The state is on track to install only 4.7 million pumps by 2030, according to the utility’s analysis. Charging customers up to $734 million — or less than $1 per month on average, according to the utility — would help make up the difference in SCE’s territory, it says.

Source: CBS News | By John Ramos

"These rate increases are completely out of control," Toney said. "We have a system that is broken, where there are no limits to how much PG&E can ask for or how many times a year they can ask for it." TURN is advocating that utility rates be capped at the rate of inflation of Social Security. In a statement, PG&E said, "...we're aggressively focused on finding new ways to work so that we can keep future bill increases at or below a broader, long-term inflation rate of 2% to 4%." But Toney said he thinks utility bills should only deal with delivery of power, and that other costs like wildfire mitigation should be paid through the state budget.

Homeowners across the Bay Area have seen their power bills climbing, but the latest request for an increase will reach a historic milestone -- more than $300 for the average monthly PG&E bill. "Shocking, maddening and frustrating!" That's how Janet Kimball described the utility bill for her Pleasant Hill home.

Source: Silicon Valley | By George Avalos

The state PUC should act to rein in soaring PG&E bills, in the view of Mark Toney, executive director of the consumer group, The Utility Reform Network (TURN). “The current system that sets no limits on rate increases needs to be replaced by a cap on annual bills, set at the cost-of-living adjustment provided by Social Security,” according to a web post by TURN.

PG&E’s request to raise rates this spring — in part due to wildfire prevention work — are poised to propel utility bills past a grim milestone: Charges are slated to average more than $300 a month for the first time. This month, bills for the typical residential customer climbed to $294.50. That’s already the highest average monthly bill ever for PG&E customers.

Source: Telemundo Bay Area | By Bob Redell, NBC Bay Area, & Libertad Pedraza

Ratepayer advocacy group TURN said PG&E could ask customers to refund them. The rate increase already approved will increase the average PG&E bill by $34. PG&E is also separately requesting another increase in March. If that passes, the average bill could rise again by $24. PG&E could also request another increase of about $43 a month. That brings the total to $100 more for the average monthly bill. "The California Public Utilities Commission is in charge of reviewing every rate increase request and, unfortunately, has repeatedly sided with Wall Street investors instead of regular customers," said the CEO of TURN, Mark Toney. "That's why bills have skyrocketed so much in recent years."

PG&E has raised its rates and now the state's largest home insurer is about to do the same. State Farm, which insures about one in 10 to 11 homes in the Bay Area and the rest of California, has received approval from the state Department of Insurance to increase rates by an average of 20% per homeowner.

Source: NBC Bay Area | By Jaxon Van Derbeken

“We have an extremely bad problem on our hands,’’ said Mark Toney, head of The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a ratepayer advocacy group. He says the utility is playing catchup on rates, having spent far more than authorized for tree cutting and other efforts to reduce wildfires between 2020 and 2022. According to an accounting PG&E submitted to state regulators for that three year period, the utility spent $9.3 billion more than the $4.7 billion allotted in rates by the California Public Utilities Commission for vegetation management.

PG&E has filed paperwork with regulators to raise rates another $24 a month, for the average customer, in March, to pay for storm repairs and more wildfire mitigation costs. On top of that, according to a chart PG&E recently showed shareholders, the utility indicates it intends to seek even more, to recoup billions it already spent.

Source: KRON 4 | By Dan Kerman

“There’s no limit to this,” said Mark Toney with the Utility Reform Network. “This is part of the problem. Every single increase you hear about is a tip of the iceberg and every increase that on top of the previous one.” Toney opposes this additional hike and says annual increases must be capped at the same level as the cost-of-living adjustment provided by social security.

Californians are turning up the heat as cooler rainy weather arrives, which causes utility bills to rise. But come this month customers will also see increases due to a rate hike, as combined gas and electric bills go up an average of 13 percent, or $34.50 a month.

Source: BNN Breaking | By Olalekan Adigun

The Utility Reform Network (TURN), a notable consumer advocacy group, has been vocal in its criticism of the rate hikes. It argues for the need for regulatory caps on rate increases and advocates for a system where they are tied to cost of living adjustments, akin to those in place for Social Security. The group asserts that this approach could mitigate the financial strain on consumers, particularly those in lower income brackets.

As the dawn of 2024 broke, residents of Oakland woke up to an unwelcome New Year’s surprise: a hefty surge in their monthly electric and gas bills. In the face of public outcry, PG&E defends the rate increases, claiming they are necessary to fund essential improvements to their energy systems. The aim is to reduce wildfire risks and enhance safety and reliability for all users. These ambitious improvement plans include burying powerlines in fire-prone areas and replacing aging gas pipelines, among other measures.

Source: The Mercury News | By George Avalos

Regulators, and potentially lawmakers, must act to rein in soaring PG&E bills and take steps to ensure they are in line with the overall inflation rate, in the view of Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, a consumer group. “The current system that sets no limits on rate increases, needs to be replaced by a cap on annual bills, set at the cost of living adjustment provided by Social Security,” TURN, a consumer group, states on its website. Adjustments for the cost of living are typically tied to a benchmark for inflation.

PG&E monthly bills are expected to average roughly $294.50 a month for the typical residential customer who receives combined electricity and gas services from the utility behemoth, according to estimates provided by the company to this news organization. That combined bill is 22.3% higher than the average monthly charges that went into effect about a year ago, at the start of January 2023, when combined bills were $240.73 for the typical residential customer.

Source: The San Francisco Standard | By Kevin Truong

Mark Toney, the executive director of The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy group, said the lack of limits on rate increases is leading to a squeeze on a critical service for customers. "There's no limits on much PG&E can ask for and how many times a year they can ask. There's also no limits on how much [regulators] can authorize," Toney said. "That's why they can ask for another rate increase just weeks after they already received one." Toney's group is pushing for a limit cap on increases that are set at the cost-of-living allowances provided by social security.

Starting Jan. 1, the typical PG&E electricity and gas customer will see their monthly rates rise about $34.50—13%—compared to current bills. That works out to $414 more in utility payments for the year, which would mark a historic increase.

Source: SD Voice | By Maxim Elramsisy

When Los Angeles hosted its annual car show a little over a month ago at the LA Convention Center, it not only showcased the latest in automotive technology, but the event also transformed into a policy forum on clean energy, previewing what lies ahead for California’s electric vehicle (EV) future. Battery-powered cars took center stage. They accounted for the majority of the over 1000 vehicles on display, ranging from cars and trucks to motorcycles, recreational vehicles, and semi-trucks. For Black and other minority advocates in attendance, several concerns emerged. Among them were the impact of the transition to zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) on Black Californians and how the state will equip low-income neighborhoods with the infrastructure needed when California bans the sale of all gas-powered vehicles in 2035.

Source: KQED | By Vanessa Rancaño

Many people who lose access to utilities end up moving in with others, restarting their utilities under someone else’s name, or leaving the state, said Mark Toney, executive director of the consumer advocacy group The Utility Reform Network. “But some of those people absolutely do end up homeless,” he said.

A quarter of California households reported being unable to pay their utility bills in October, according to a Census survey, resulting in what Columbia University public health professor Diana Hernández and others call energy insecurity, or the “heat or eat dilemma.” “It’s almost like a game of Russian roulette,” she said, describing the monthly juggle low-income families face. “Today’s unpaid energy bill is tomorrow’s eviction notice. And that cycle is a very real one.”

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

The Utilities Reform Network (TURN), a consumer group based in San Francisco, is concerned that last-minute revisions approved by the CPUC on Thursday could leave ratepayers on the hook. “We’re very disturbed that the proposed decision may allow PG&E to collect a $1.4 billion slush fund from ratepayers that it would use specifically to protect its shareholders from any liability for core performance,” TURN staff attorney Matthew Freedman said.

The California Public Utilities Commission approved a plan Thursday to keep the Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo open for at least six more years. The decision “is an important measure towards supporting the reliability of the California electricity grid as we move forward in our energy transition,” said Karen Douglas, the commissioner assigned to the case. “California’s path forward in the energy transition hasn’t always been easy and won’t always be easy.”