Category: Utilities
Utility companies owe millions to California regulatory agency. The problem? The agency can’t track what it’s owed.
When a whistleblower alleged that $200 million was missing from the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency says it took steps to collect. Yet an audit uncovered more missing money and cited flaws in the agency’s…
She Noticed $200 Million Missing, Then She Was Fired
Alice Stebbins was hired to fix the finances of California’s powerful utility regulator. She was fired after finding $200 million for the state’s deaf, blind and poor residents was missing. by Scott Morris, Bay City News…
Four types of scandals utility companies get into with money from your electric bills
When power companies across the country fight for favorable legislation, sometimes their efforts cross the line and customers pay the price. by Patrick Wilson, Richmond Times-Dispatch Saturday, October10 Across the country, electric utilities have worked the…
Inside the utility company lobbying blitz that will hike electric bills
Democrats who campaigned against Virginia’s largest public utility, Dominion Energy, swept into office. Then the company’s lobbying efforts kicked into high gear. Here’s how it fought against legislation meant to lower residents’ electric bills. by Patrick…
Justice groups say next coronavirus relief package must include moratorium on utility shutoffs
“It’s unconscionable that Senate Republicans chose to protect corporate America over families in the last rescue package.” by Julia Conley, staff writer With more than a quarter of Americans reporting lost income as a…
Some towns still haven’t halted utility shut-offs for unpaid water bills during coronavirus, even as federal lawmakers demand it
While some municipalities with only a few cases of the coronavirus have stopped disconnecting water service for residents with overdue bills, a few utility companies at the coronavirus epicenter in Washington have made no such promises….
Virginia passes clean energy legislation
The Virginia Clean Economy Act follows other states in capping energy bills of low-income ratepayers at no more that 6% of a family’s income for electricity and 10% for gas use. It creates a “social cost…
Cooperatives need to get broadband to the countryside
New Orleans How can I say this plainly? Electric cooperatives have become increasingly less cooperative, and, frankly, not even all that electric. What was a huge breakthrough in taking electricity the last mile into rural…
