Opinion Column by Jim Shields, THE WILLITS NEWS
July 2, 2022
https://www.willitsnews.com/2022/07/02/the-observer-proposed-law-requir…
As I reported to you last month, there’s a proposed law that would require oil refiners to disclose their per gallon profits on a monthly basis. The bill recently already passed out of the California Senate by a vote of 22-4.
Greater L.A. Program - written by Amy Ta, produced by Jenna Kagel, KCRW 89.9FM NPR Southern California
June 29, 2022
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/gasoline-womens-pro-soccer/g…
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Los Angeles, CA - A bill requiring oil refiners to disclose their per gallon profits monthly passed out of the California Assembly Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 8 - 3. The legislation has already passed out of the California Senate by a vote of 22 - 4.
Monday, in the Natural Resources Committee, California Assembly Members will have the opportunity to answer the top question on their constituents' minds: why is the price of California gasoline so high and how much are oil refiners making off every gallon of gasoline?
By Dan Bacher, INDYBAY
June 12, 2022
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2022/06/12/18850413.php
A May 2022 update to its Tracking the Dirty Dollars Project by Sierra Club California provides some clarity why California’s environmental policies don't live up to the “green” words of the state’s politicians. This update reveals that only 15 legislators have not received campaign contributions from polluters and their allies since January 1, 2021.
The optics of the C-suite selloff aren’t great, given the pain at the pump for the average consumer.
By Noah Kirsch, THE DAILY BEAST
June 3, 2022
https://www.thedailybeast.com/oil-executives-sell-stock-like-crazy-whil…
Los Angeles, CA—The true cost to the public of California’s oil and gas production and combustion is estimated to reach $10 trillion by 2045, a new report released today by Consumer Watchdog finds. Californians will be paying more than $400 billion annually in public costs caused by fossil fuels between now and 2045 when the state aims to be carbon neutral.
By Ian Taylor, BUNKERSPOT
May 25, 2022
https://www.bunkerspot.com/americas/56310-americas-bill-requiring-refin…
SB 1322 (Allen) – a bill that would require oil refiners to disclose their profits on a monthly basis – has passed out of the California Senate by a vote of 22 to 4 and will now be heard in the California Assembly.
By Staff Reports, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
May 24, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
The California Assembly passed a bill supported by Consumer Watchdog that would force Big Oil to report it's profit margins monthly, and sent it to the Senate.
Los Angeles, CA - A bill requiring oil refiners to disclose their per gallon profits monthly passed out of the California Senate by a vote of 22 to 4 and will now be heard in the California Assembly.
By Alexi Chidbachian, KTTV FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
May 11, 2022
https://www.foxla.com/news/oil-refiners-exploited-the-crisis-report-sho…
LOS ANGELES - A recent investor profits report shows that California oil refiners are gouging Californians as they earn more than double the number of other refiners.
A bill to ban offshore drilling in state waters, Senate Bill 953, passed out of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water on April 26.
By Dan Bacher, RED, GREEN & BLUE
May 10, 2022
http://redgreenandblue.org/2022/05/10/california-officially-ban-offshor…
By Dan Bacher, DAILY KOS
May 6, 2022
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/5/6/2096432/-Western-States-Petro…
Deep regulatory capture by Big Oil is thriving in California, despite continual boasting by politicians that the state is the nation's "green" and "progressive" leader.
23 California legislators who failed to support clean energy bills have taken a combined $1.58 million from the oil and gas industry.
By Aaron Cantu, CAPITAL & MAIN
May 4, 2022
https://capitalandmain.com/how-lawmakers-are-stonewalling-clean-energy-…
Los Angeles, CA -- With gas prices sky-high, legislation requiring California oil refiners to disclose once a month the price they pay for crude oil and the profit margins they make on the gasoline they refine and sell moved out of the California Senate Energy Committee last night on a vote of 8 to 0.
Oil and gas CEOs received nearly $45m more in combined total compensation in 2021 compared to 2020 amid a spike in prices
By Iffah Kitchlew, THE GUARDIAN UK
April 25, 2022
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/25/us-gas-prices-oil-c…
While gas prices soar for consumers, one group of people isn’t faring so badly.
Los Angeles, CA—Permit approvals for drilling new Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) wells using higher risk steam injection techniques jumped up 59% in the first quarter of 2022 though California oil production continues to decline, according to analysis by FracTracker Alliance. The permits are posted on a map at www.NewsomWellWatch.com.
Moreover, while oil companies continue to apply for permits to drill new wells and to rework them, in the last two years nearly two thirds granted by state regulators have gone unused.
By Colby Bermel, POLITICO PRO
April 18, 2022
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2022/04/lara-and-levine-spar…
A new fossil fuel investments disclosure tool unveiled Monday by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara won out over a competing legislative proposal from his primary challenger, fellow Democrat Marc Levine, who accused Lara's staff of working against the bill.
On Monday, Californians paid $1.60 more per gallon than the national average.
By Morgan Rynor, KXTV ABC TV-10 Sacramento, CA
March 21, 2022
https://www.abc10.com/article/traffic/gas-prices/california-gas-prices/…
By Mike Simpson and Charles Feldman - IN DEPTH - KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
March 18, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Jamie Court with Consumer Watchdog explains how the big 5 oil refiners who own 96% of the market are profiteering on California consumers and should have to open their books.
By Cat Brooks and Brian Edwards-Tiekert, UPFRONT - KPFA 94.1 FM, SF Bay Area, CA
March 15, 2022
https://kpfa.org/episode/upfront-march-15-2022/
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
By Mike Dewald, KCBS 740 AM San Francisco, CA
March 14, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Fresh calls for big oil refiners to open their books to prove they're not artificially fleecing CA consumers at the pump.
By Cherry Glazer, KCRW 89.9FM Santa Monica, CA
March 14, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
CA State Senator Ben Allen is introducing a new bill that would force big oil refiners to open their financial books.
By Staff Reporters, KPCC 89.3FM SoCal Public Radio
March 14, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Public advocates are supporting CA State Senator Ben Allen's new proposed legislation to force big oil refiners to open their books to see if they are indeed profiteering off California consumers.
By Staff Reporters, KXJZ-FM Capitol Public Radio, Sacramento, CA
March 14, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer advocates support CA State Senator Ben Allen's new bill to force the big oil refiners to open their books to determine if they are artificially boosting prices.
By Connor Sheets, LOS ANGELES TIMES
March 14, 2022
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-14/gas-prices-vary-fro…
You’re filling up your Toyota Camry at a gas station in Los Angeles County — home to six oil refineries that pump out more than a million barrels a day, nearly 60% of the refinery capacity in California. With so much oil so close to home, you might think gasoline would be pretty cheap.
By Nate Gartrell, THE EAST COUNTY GAZETTE
March 13, 2022
https://theeastcountygazette.com/new-bill-seeks-to-make-oil-refiners-pr…
A local lawmaker is seeking to know why California gas prices are so much higher than the rest of the country in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By JW August, THE TIMES OF SAN DIEGO
March 11, 2022
https://timesofsandiego.com/business/2022/03/11/new-senate-bill-would-f…
Just how much do oil refiners make in California? Only the owners of the five refineries in the state know.
By Staff Reporters, KNX 1070 AM Los Angeles, CA
March 11, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Jamie Court with Consumer Watchdog tells how CA State Senator Ben Allen is introducing a bill to reign in oil refiners who are artificially jacking up gas prices in CA and laughing all the way to the bank.
By Kevin Smith, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
March 11, 2022
https://www.ocregister.com/2022/03/11/bill-seeks-profit-transparancy-fr…
Russia’s invasion into Ukraine has pushed California’s already high gas prices to record levels, but a local lawmaker wants to know why Golden State prices are routinely so much higher than the rest of the nation.
By Madeline Brand, PRESS PLAY - KCRW 89.9FM Santa Monica, CA
March 9, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains why California's gas prices are so much higher than the rest of the nation and what should be done about it.
By Amy Ta, produced by Brian Hardzinsk, KCRW 89.9FM - Press Play
March 9, 2022
https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/oil-ukr…
A gallon of gas in California today averages $5.57, according to AAA, and that’s the highest in the nation. Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday proposed a rebate aiming to ease fuel costs, though details are scant.
By Charles Feldman & Mike Simpson, KNX 1070AM LA
February 17, 2022
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment.
Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court explains how Big Oil is fleecing California consumers at the pump again by artificially raising prices.
By Dan Bacher, DAILY KOS
February 2, 2022
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/2/2078099/-Western-States-Petro…
The Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying group in Sacramento, has spent over $17.5 million lobbying the California Legislature and other state officials over the past three years.
State insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara has taken campaign money and gifts from fossil fuel interests and “done almost nothing” to address climate change.
By Sam Mellins, THE DAILY POSTER
January 12, 2022
https://www.dailyposter.com/why-is-california-backtracking-on-climate-r…
By JW August, TIMES OF SAN DIEGO
November 21, 2021
https://patch.com/california/san-diego/californians-casting-suspicious-…
You might be asking yourself, why are we paying on average $4.70 for a gallon of gasoline in California, while the cost for the rest of the country is more than a dollar less?
By Christina Gonzalez, KTTV FOX TV-11 Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2021
https://www.foxla.com/news/how-to-save-money-on-gas-in-california
LOS ANGELES - Is cheaper gas the same quality as high-end brands? It depends on who you ask, but there are some basic things that can save you money.
By Nick Visser and Mollie Reilly, HUFFPOST
October 21, 2021
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/california-oil-well-3200-feet_n_6170cc0d…
California is seeking to dramatically expand protections for communities near oil drilling operations following a large oil spill off the coast of Southern California earlier this month.
Los Angeles, CA — Governor Newsom’s oil regulators have approved 9,728 oil drilling permits since he assumed office in 2019, according to a new analysis of permits approved through October 1, 2021and posted at www.NewsomWellWatch.org by Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance. The groups said Newsom should immediately cease approval of more oil permits to avoid hitting the 10,000 mark.
By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
April 26, 2021
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article25…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made big waves on Friday when he announced plans for the state to phase out fracking by 2024, and oil drilling by 2045.
By Staff Reporters, PRESS TV
April 24, 2021
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/04/24/650179/Climate-change-Califor…
Climate action advocates have cautiously praised California Governor Gavin Newsom's plan to ban hydraulic fracturing by 2024, but stressed that the move is still a half-measure as it allows continued oil drilling for the next two-and-a-half years.
By Kenny Stencil and Jessica Corbett , COMMON DREAMS
April 23, 2021
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/04/23/californias-new-fossil-fue…
Climate campaigners on Friday cautiously applauded California Gov. Gavin Newsom's moves to cut off new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024 and evaluate phasing out oil production by 2045, while also stressing that the timeline still needs to be accelerated.
By Janet Wilson, THE PALM SPRINGS DESERT SUN
April 23, 2021
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2021/04/23/california-…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday directed the state's top oil regulator, the Geologic Energy Management Division, to immediately begin crafting a regulation to halt new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024.
By Stephanie Stanton, FOX TV-11 LA
March 24, 2021
https://www.foxla.com/news/gas-prices-continue-to-rise-in-southern-cali…
LOS ANGELES - Once again prices at the pump in Southern California continue to rise. After a pandemic pause in 2020, gas prices are now hitting their highest levels since November of 2019.
Los Angeles, CA — Consumer Watchdog today welcomed newly introduced state legislation—SB 467—to ban fracking and a host of other more commonly employed and dangerous techniques used to coax stubborn-and-hard to reach oil and gas out of the ground.
Los Angeles, CA — California oil regulators more than doubled the dispensing of permits in 2020 to drill new oil and gas production wells, issuing more than 1,700 in 2020, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance reported today.
At the same time, the Newsom Administration failed to meet its own New Year’s Eve deadline for a draft rule designating the safe distance for drilling from a community, giving itself until Spring. Public interest groups who have pushed for a 2,500-foot setback are troubled by the delay. States such as Colorado have instituted setbacks of 2,000 feet.
Los Angeles, CA — The Newsom Administration issued six more fracking permits to Aera Energy late on Friday afternoon at a time of great risk to the environment and to the public health of affected communities also exposed to Covid 19, Consumer Watchdog said today.
The number of fracking permits issued this year—despite a nine-month moratorium imposed by Newsom that ended last April—now comes to 54 issued to Aera and Chevron.
By Dan Bacher, RED GREEN & BLUE
October 17, 2020
http://redgreenandblue.org/2020/10/17/ca-regulators-issue-6-new-frackin…
The agency approved the permits after an independent technical review by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, according to Matt Baker, Deputy Secretary for Energy of the California Natural Resources Agency.
KNX 1070 AM LA
August 10, 2020
Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast segment, where Consumer Watchdog's Jamie Court discusses how Governor Newsom's advisory economic task force meets in private with no public oversight or accountability.
By Phil Willon, LOS ANGELES TIMES
August 10, 2020
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-10/newsom-coronavirus-…
SACRAMENTO — Faced with a pandemic that has put millions of Californians out of work and eviscerated businesses large and small, Gov. Gavin Newsom promised that “health and science” would guide state officials in repairing the economy and steering it toward recovery.
Los Angeles, CA — Oil and gas regulators at the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) no longer hold oil stocks or other interests in the sector that they regulate in a radical departure from past practices, Consumer Watchdog said today.
A new conflict of interest policy at the division’s parent agency, the Department of Conservation (DOC), now prohibits such investments without explicit written approval by DOC’s director.
Los Angeles, CA — The first definitive study showing perinatal harm from oil production in California to pregnant mothers proves that the state must institute a barrier of 2,500 feet between residents and oil wells and stop issuing new oil permits for wells within that zone, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Study looked at 3 million birth certificates and oil, gas info - Low birth weights found in rural areas near active wells
By Emily C. Dooley, BLOOMBERG
June 3, 2020
Pregnant women living in rural areas close to active oil and gas wells are at higher risk o f having babies that weigh less than those born in urban areas, a study of millions of birth records in California shows.
Los Angeles, CA — Consumer Watchdog called upon Governor Gavin Newsom to prevent oil companies from receiving approvals for new oil wells without first requiring full bonding for their clean-up.
Los Angeles, CA—As the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded, new oil well permits under Gov. Gavin Newsom rose 7.8% in the first quarter of 2020 through April 4, compared to the first quarter of 2019, Consumer Watchdog and FrackTrackerAlliance reported today. The Newsom Administration issued 1,623 permits during the first quarter of 2020. It also approved 24 fracking permits after a nine-month moratorium. The total number of permits issued under Newsom since he took office in January 2019 is 6,168.
By Andrew Sheeler and Hannah Wiley, SACRAMENTO BEE - CAPITOL ALERT
April 16, 2020
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24…
Five dozen climate, health and environmental organizations have sent a letter to Gov. Newsom, urging him “to reject the efforts by the oil industry to exploit this emergency as an excuse to roll back regulatory oversight.”
By Dan Bacher, SF INDYBAY MEDIA
April 11, 2020
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2020/04/11/18832287.php
The issuing of new fracking permits took place less than two months after Consumer Watchdog and the FracTracker Alliance reported that the total number of oil and gas well permits issued in 2019 under the Newsom Administration rivals the number issued during the last year in office of former Governor Jerry Brown.
By Adam Beam, ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 4, 2020
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-issues-first-new-fracking-…
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California issued 24 hydraulic fracturing permits on Friday, authorizing the first new oil wells in the state since July of last year and angering environmental groups who have been pressuring the state to ban the procedure known as fracking.
Los Angeles, CA—The total number of oil and gas well permits issued in 2019 under the Newsom Administration rivals the number issued in 2018 during the last year in office of former Governor Jerry Brown, Consumer Watchdog and FracTracker Alliance reported today. The Newsom Administration issued just 1% fewer permits for a total of 4,545 versus 4,590 for all of 2018.
Los Angeles, CA - Consumer Watchdog hailed the imminent departure of the Department of Conservation’s Chief Deputy Director, widely seen as an impediment to environmental reform, as a sign that Governor Newsom plans to overhaul the way oil and gas is regulated in the state.
As Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Michael Hiltzik lays out in his column today in the Los Angeles Times, the world’s biggest oil and gas companies have wasted over 500 hours of Consumer Watchdog’s legal time over the last 18 months trying to get a peek at how we know what we know about the oil industry. Thank you to Consumer Watchdog staff attorney Danny Sternberg for all his hard work defending the organization.
Los Angeles, CA -- Consumer Watchdog said today that a new state report finding that major oil companies are overcharging their own stations in order to gouge California consumers vindicates the analysis that it has made since 2015 and requires new state laws to protect drivers.
The nonprofit nonpartisan consumer group applauded Governor Newsom’s call for an investigation and possible prosecution by the California Attorney General into the problem.
Los Angeles, CA – Consumer Watchdog today thanked Governor Gavin Newsom for firing the state’s top oil and gas supervisor and instituting an ethics review of the state’s oil well approval and inspection process in response to its recent report of conflicts at the agency and request.
Los Angeles, CA -- A review of state conflict of interest forms shows that eight regulators managing the state’s oil and gas well approval and inspection process have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the oil companies they regulate. One of the regulators is among the top three in command at the State’s Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR).
Los Angeles, CA -- Consumer Watchdog said today that the California Energy Commission under Governor Gavin Newsom is finally taking steps to confront artificially high gasoline prices in California by acknowledging the role of oil refiners' supply and retail price manipulation in sky-high pump prices.
Los Angeles, CA -- In a letter to California’s legislative leaders, Consumer Watchdog today wrote that the shocking details of a utility junket in Maui with 12 state lawmakers while wildfires destroyed the state should compel new immediate online disclosures about such trips.
Los Angeles, CA — As a UN panel finds the world is losing the war with global warming and urgent action is needed, US insurance companies have reported holding more than $50.9 billion in fossil fuel investments that exacerbate climate change, according to reporting to national insurance regulators.
Consumer Watchdog’s review of public filings reveals nine of the 10 largest American insurance companies have considered the impact of climate change on their investments, but only two, AIG and Farmers, say that they have altered their investment strategy in response.
San Francisco, CA – The nonprofit consumer group responsible for the most effective regulation of the insurance industry in America said today it would be challenging America’s insurance companies to join their European counterparts in refusing to underwrite coal and fossil fuel projects.
San Francisco, CA — A 30-second tv ad featuring a 9-year old girl admonishing Governor Brown for allowing oil drilling next to homes airs today on CNN and MSNBC in advance of Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit kick-off this week in San Francisco. The "Jerry's Kids" tv ad campaign is paid for by nonprofits Consumer Watchdog and Food & Water Watch.
Los Angeles, CA -- Consumer Watchdog congratulated legislative leaders and Governor Brown today for pushing through and signing SB 100, historic legislation that sets out to decarbonize the electricity sector completely by 2045. But the nonprofit group said Brown still must use its executive powers to stop neighborhood oil drilling and take on oil drilling directly.
Los Angeles, CA – Consumer Watchdog thanked Governor Brown for signing important legislation today trying to stop activation of oil wells in federal waters. The nonprofit group noted that Brown has jurisdiction over four times more state oil wells in state waters off California’s coast than oil wells Trump has control of in federal waters off the coast and Brown needs to shut those wells down. (Click on this map for the details)
SACRAMENTO, CA — Environmental and consumer advocates today urged Governor Jerry Brown to resist the threat of a Trump takeover of the California electricity grid and to also oppose Trump’s plans to frack and drill California. A western regional electricity market would subject Californians to increased power imports from coal-heavy states and higher bills from speculation on power contracts, in a regional grid under the oversight of the Trump administration.
Los Angeles, CA -- As the Governor is expected to announce special deliberations on utility proposals shortly, Consumer Watchdog offered new information to the legislature about problems with the proposed new Western power market. The group warned that legislation to subsume California’s electricity grid into a giant regional power trading system will not only open the state to trading manipulation, but permanently hobble California when it comes to prosecuting Enron-style manipulation in the future.
Los Angeles, CA -- Consumer Watchdog today launched a web site that allows you to compare California offshore wells under the control of Governor Jerry Brown and President Donald Trump.
Los Angeles, CA — The California Senate Energy, Utilities & Communications Committee voted today to pass legislation turning California into a giant Western power trading casino that puts ratepayers and the environment at risk, Consumer Watchdog said in condemning the vote for AB 813.
Los Angeles, CA— California leaders are being pressed by former allies of Enron and energy traders who ripped off the state to gamble away California’s energy future on the revival of a plan for a Western regional power trading system that will benefit billionaires and Wall Street and put ratepayers and the environment at risk, Consumer Watchdog finds in a new report.
“Not every Angeleno is going to prosper in the ‘Next-Gen new economy,’” according to a recent newspaper ad by the State Building & Construction Trades. The union wants politicians not to “be bullied into supporting job killing regulations that are designed to shutter yet another Southern California industry.” This one being the oil and gas industry.
Browns Last Chance campaign asked Governor Brown to cross to our side of the tracks at Union Station on Friday and start keeping oil in the ground.
Santa Monica, CA -- 30 environmental and public interest groups urged Governor Brown to articulate a new plan for keeping oil in the ground as the next step to his acknowledgment that turning the course of climate change will require extraordinary new action.
Santa Monica, CA — Governor Jerry Brown should immediately stop all offshore drilling in state waters in response to President Trump’s decision to vastly expand offshore drilling from the Atlantic to the Arctic, including in federal waters off of California, Consumer Watchdog said today.
Santa Monica, CA—As Sempra’s Aliso Canyon natural gas reserve sprang another leak this week, reigniting nosebleeds and headaches among nearby LA County residents, Consumer Watchdog released an animation featuring Governor Jerry Brown and an updated "Twelve Days of Christmas" song highlighting his support for fossil fuels and dirty energy policies.
Santa Monica, CA — As protestors heckled Governor Jerry Brown during his tour abroad for failing to leave oil and gas in the ground, new scientific research shows that his signature greenhouse gas trading program to cut emissions is ineffective.
Sacramento, CA -- Public interest groups are urging the California Senate Rules Committee to demand answers about oil and gas well safety breaches from Governor Brown’s top oil and gas aide and to not confirm him to the Public Utilities Commission without them.
Santa Monica, CA -- Sempra shareholders have profited wildly from the favorable decisions taken by Jerry Brown’s appointees since the Governor was elected, and his sister Kathleen Brown, a Sempra board member, has made more than $1 million in cash and stock since joining the board four years ago, Consumer Watchdog said today in a new report.
Sacramento, CA — Consumer Watchdog and Food & Water Watch oppose Assembly Bill 398, brokered by Governor Jerry Brown to extend California’s cap-and-trade program past 2020, as a massive giveaway of billions of dollars to the oil and gas industry that fails to rein in one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in California. The organizations are calling on state legislators to defeat the bill, which could be called for a vote on Thursday.
Santa Monica, CA—As Governor Brown challenges the Trump administration today on climate change by issuing a sweeping invitation to a global “climate action” summit in San Francisco, Consumer Watchdog is challenging the Governor to hold the summit in Northern California’s Richmond or in Southern California cities like Wilmington or Torrance—home to emissions-spewing refineries.
Santa Monica, CA — Consumer Watchdog today called on the Public Utilities Commission to require disclosure of any communications about new, unnecessary natural gas-fired power plants in Southern California made during Governor Jerry Brown’s recent trip to Beijing to tout clean energy. The trip, during which energy company executives had intimate access to the governor and energy regulators, shows the need for greater transparency around power plant decision-making.
This review fact-checks the perception of Jerry Brown as an environmentalist against his actions since taking office as Governor in 2011 to answer the question: “How Green Is Brown?” On a continuum
Consumer Watchdog analyzed data from the shipping market and state sources to study the impact of gasoline imports and exports on gas prices in California during the first nine months of 2015, when
Californians have paid $7.5 billion more than they should have for their gasoline since California’s record gasoline price spike began in February of 2015, according to a Consumer Watchdog analysis
In the six months since California’s record gasoline price spike began in February, Californians have paid $4.8 billion more than the rest of the country for regular gasoline at the pump, according
This analysis, “Refining Profits,” looks at how oil refiners in California fared over the last decade in their refining operaDons and compared the companies’ refining profits during periods of gaso
Californians have perennially experienced steep gasoline price spikes since 1999 when California’s Attorney General formed a Gasoline Pricing Taskforce that identified market consolidation and limi
Internal documents obtained from the oil industry’s lobbying arm, the Western States Petroleum Association, show that the companies have made stopping California’s landmark climate change laws thei