The Public Fleecing by PGE
[last updated on November 29 2003]
[last updated on November 29 2003]
In October 2001, the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) allowed PGE/Enron to raise rates by 41% overall, 53% for businesses. This $400 million annual increase continues to harm consumers and our local economy. Businesses have closed and Clackamas County residents have lost their jobs as a result. PGE signed high-priced power contracts during the period of May 2000-2001 while Enron, its owner, was manipulating the West Coast energy market to inflate power prices with "Fat Boy", "Death Star", "Ricochet", "Load Shift", and "Get Shorty."http://www.pge.com/about/news/mediarelations/newsreleases/q3_2005/050715a.shtml
Excerpt:
Release Date: July 15, 2005
Contact: PG&E News Department (415) 973-5930
Pacific Gas And Electric Company Resolves FERC Refund Claims With Enron Inc.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company today announced that Enron has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with California parties, including PG&E, to resolve overcharge and market manipulation claims from the sale of electricity into the California market between January 1, 2000 and June 20, 2001.
When finalized, the agreement will satisfy Enron's portion of the California refund case pending before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The California parties represented in the settlement are: the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Department of Water Resources, the California Attorney General's Office, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
"The settlement with Enron is another positive development in our efforts to resolve the market manipulation claims resulting from California's energy crisis," said Roger J. Peters, PG&E's senior vice president and general counsel. "This is the fifth such settlement, and we are confident that progress will continue to be made in remedying the overcharges that took place during California's energy crisis."
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/blackout/california/
Excerpt:
Price Limits Extended on Power
June 18, 2001
By JEFF GERTH
Broadening efforts to rein in California's power crisis, regulators ordered that restraints on prices be applied at all hours and extended them to 10 other Western states.
Natural Gas Prices Remain High in Southern California
June 5, 2001
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
To many experts, the woes of California's natural gas market are as profound as those of its electricity market.
California Utility Says Prices of Gas Were Inflated
May 9, 2001
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and LOWELL BERGMAN
One of California's struggling utility companies accused the El Paso Corporation yesterday of artificially inflating the price of natural gas in the state by $3.7 billion over the last year by using its partial control of a major pipeline to curtail the flow of gas.
Power Concern Offers California a Secret Deal
May 2, 2001
By JEFF GERTH and LOWELL BERGMAN
Duke Energy, a power-generating company accused of overcharging customers millions of dollars during California's year-old energy crisis, has secretly offered Gov. Gray Davis a deal that it hopes will solve its legal problems while helping to calm the state's chaotic electricity markets.
While a Utility May Be Failing, Its Owner Is Not
April 30, 2001
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and LAURA M. HOLSON
Pacific Gas and Electric, the giant California utility, may have just made one of the largest bankruptcy filings in history, but it has been a banner year for the rest of its parent company, the PG&E Corporation.
Plan on California Energy Has No Shortage of Critics
April 27, 2001
By JOSEPH KAHN
A novel plan by federal regulators to control California's runaway electricity prices is a messy, politically motivated compromise that may offer some relief to consumers but will do little to fix the state's dysfunctional energy market, analysts said.
California's Largest Utility Files for Bankruptcy
April 7, 2001
By LAURA M. HOLSON
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California's largest investor-owned utility, filed for bankruptcy protection today, declaring that politicians and regulators had not moved quickly enough to resolve an energy crisis that has caused periodic rolling blackouts and is costing the state billions of dollars.
By the early 1990s, electricity rates in California were on average 50 percent higher than the rest of the U.S. In 1995, the state legislature unanimously passed a bill to open the industry to competition, but now consumers are paying almost twice the rate they did before deregulation, and suffering rolling blackouts. Here's a summary of the events.
What, exactly, happened in California? Some have attributed the state's energy woes to the "perfect storm" theory: California fell victim to a number of different problems that, taken individually, wouldn't have equaled a crisis, but through a combination of a flawed deregulation scheme, the effect of the drought, and several other extenuating circumstances, California was caught in the eye of a storm. Here are the views of business professor Severin Borenstein; U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney; California Governor Gray Davis; Robert Glynn, CEO of PG&E Corp.; consumer advocate Nettie Hoge; Enron Chairman Ken Lay; California's chief regulator, Loretta Lynch; Duke Energy CEO Richard Priory; former Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson; Enron CEO Jeff Skilling; and Stanford economics professor Frank Wolak.
For more on the roots of the crisis, see this overview from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Critics have accused FERC Chairman Curt Hebert of being a free market ideologue who is blindly devoted to the free market. Did FERC neglect its obligations as an energy market monitor and exacerbate -- or cause -- California's crisis? Here are the views of business professor Severin Borenstein; FERC Chairman Curt Hebert; consumer advocate Nettie Hoge; Enron Chairman Ken Lay; California's chief regulator, Loretta Lynch; FERC economist Ron Rattey; Enron CEO Jeff Skilling; and Stanford economics professor Frank Wolak.
This timeline chronicles California's deregulation process, the ensuing electricity crisis, and state and federal approaches toward solving California's problems.
Here is a collection of links that provide more information on what happened in California, and who the players are.
http://www.cal-ipc.org/WMAs/Northern_San_Joaquin_Valley_WMA.php
Excerpt:
Organizations on WMA’s MOU
- Army Corp of Engineers
- Stanislaus River Parks California Department of Boating & Waterways
- California State Parks, Four Rivers District
- City of Modesto Parks
- City of Turlock
- Del Rio Country Club
- East Stanislaus Resource Conservation District
- Grassland Water District
- Hooker Grain Company
- Master Lawn Care
- Merced County Agriculture Department
- Merced Irrigation District
Excerpt:
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
What is the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program?
The CARE program provides a 20% discount on the monthly gas bill for eligible households. In addition, those who qualify--and are approved within 90 days of starting new gas service--will also receive a $15 discount on the Service Establishment Charge. You will receive your discount once your completed application is approved by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas).
http://consumerwiki.dca.ca.gov/wiki/index.php/Energy
Excerpt:
The following entities for energy include:
FEDERAL:
The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), a branch of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the independent statistical and analytical agency within the United States Department of Energy, provides information on energy production, disposition, reserves, historical data, forecasts, and analyses for coal, electricity, gas, oil, nuclear, and alternate fuels.
National Energy Information Center, EI-30
Energy Information Administration
US Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585
(202) 586-8800
Consumers may request selected EIA energy publications free of charge. The NTIS also sells EIA publications in hard copy and microfiche form, and models and databases on diskette and magnetic tape.
STATE:
The California Energy Commission, a statutorily created commission which functions under the Governor, is responsible for five basic areas: forecasting future statewide electricity needs; licensing power plants to meet those needs; promoting energy conservation; developing renewable energy resources and alternative energy technologies and planning for and directing state response to energy emergencies. The Commission is responsible for regulations on an electric vehicle's power supply.
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-5512
(916) 654-4287
http://www.energy.ca.gov/
Mailing Address:
1516 Ninth Street, MS-29
Sacramento, CA 95814-5512
Energy Standards Hotline
(800) 772-3300
Energy representatives provide technical assistance on energy standards for residential and nonresidential buildings constructed in California and major appliances sold in California.
ENERGY PROGRAMS:
The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that helps low-income house-holds pay their energy bill. Eligibility is based on the household's total monthly income.
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
(866) 675-6623
(916) 327-5318 (TDD)
www.csd.ca.gov
The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) is a reduced rate program for low-income house-holds that provides a 15% monthly discount on gas and electric charges for Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers.
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
(800) 743-5000
www.pge.com/care
Consumers can check with their local utility company for information on Energy Assistance programs in their area.
Excerpt:
Chronology[1][2][3]
1996 California begins to modify controls on its energy market and takes measures ostensibly to increase competition.
April 1998 Spot market for energy begins operation.
May 2000 Significant rise in energy price.
June 14, 2000 Blackouts affect 97,000 customers in San Francisco Bay area during a heat wave.
August 2000 San Diego Gas & Electric Company files a complaint alleging manipulation of the markets.
January 17–18, 2001 Blackouts affect several hundred thousand customers.
January 17, 2001 Governor Davis declares a state of emergency.
March 19–20, 2001 Blackouts affect 1.5 million customers.
April 2001 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. files for bankruptcy.
May 7–8, 2001 Blackouts affect upwards of 167,000 customers.
September 2001 Energy prices normalize.
December 2001 Following the bankruptcy of Enron, it is alleged that energy prices were manipulated by Enron.
February 2002 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission begins investigation of Enron's involvement.
Winter 2002 The Enron Tapes scandal begins to surface.
November 13, 2003 Governor Davis ends the state of emergency.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/chandra-levy/condits-name-emerges-at-levy-t.html
Excerpt:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/689627/posts (Chandra Levy death, timeframe)
Excerpt:
May 1, 2001: (At 4:15 a.m., a neighbor heard screams outside Levy's apartment building and called 911 at 4:37 a.m. Police responded but found nothing. There is no reason to believe this is related to the case since police seem pretty certain Chandra was in her apartment using her computer later that morning.)
Levy, in the morning, may have ordered copies of keys at a hardware store across the street from the health club. If so, she picked them up in the afternoon. Police discount this report.
From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Levy's computer was connected to the Internet from her third floor studio apartment above 21st Street, surfing the Web for information on Klingle Mansion at Rock Creek Park, as well as the sites of several newspapers; she also e-mailed her friends and her mother.
Condit met with Vice President Cheney at 12:30 p.m. for a private meeting lasting about 20 minutes. The meeting was over by 1:00 PM.
Condit returned to his office at 3:30 PM for meetings and phone conversations with constituents.
Condit left his office for a 5:00 PM doctor's appointment.
At 6:25 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., Condit participated in two roll call votes on Capitol Hill.
Newsweek reports that Condit was driven to his Adams Morgan apartment by a staff member about 7 p.m. There he spent the evening with his wife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Chiang
Excerpt:
Joyce Chiang (江宜玲 Jiāng Yílíng December 7, 1970–c. January 1999) was an attorney with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, who was murdered. Chiang disappeared on January 9, 1999, in Washington, D.C., and was later found dead. The story of her disappearance and the discovery of her remains in the Potomac River, which drew only local news coverage at the time, was rediscovered and received some national attention in the wake of the similar disappearance of Chandra Levy in May 2001.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/23/local/la-me-chiang-20110623
Excerpt:
http://consumerwiki.dca.ca.gov/wiki/index.php/Energy
Excerpt:
ENERGY | go back |
The following entities for energy include:
- Federal
- State
- Energy Programs (city/county/statewide)
FEDERAL:
The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), a branch of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the independent statistical and analytical agency within the United States Department of Energy, provides information on energy production, disposition, reserves, historical data, forecasts, and analyses for coal, electricity, gas, oil, nuclear, and alternate fuels.
National Energy Information Center, EI-30
Energy Information Administration
US Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585
(202) 586-8800
Consumers may request selected EIA energy publications free of charge. The NTIS also sells EIA publications in hard copy and microfiche form, and models and databases on diskette and magnetic tape.
STATE:
The California Energy Commission, a statutorily created commission which functions under the Governor, is responsible for five basic areas: forecasting future statewide electricity needs; licensing power plants to meet those needs; promoting energy conservation; developing renewable energy resources and alternative energy technologies and planning for and directing state response to energy emergencies. The Commission is responsible for regulations on an electric vehicle's power supply.
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814-5512
(916) 654-4287
http://www.energy.ca.gov/
Mailing Address:
1516 Ninth Street, MS-29
Sacramento, CA 95814-5512
Energy Standards Hotline
(800) 772-3300
Energy representatives provide technical assistance on energy standards for residential and nonresidential buildings constructed in California and major appliances sold in California.
ENERGY PROGRAMS:
The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that helps low-income house-holds pay their energy bill. Eligibility is based on the household's total monthly income.
Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
(866) 675-6623
(916) 327-5318 (TDD)
www.csd.ca.gov
The California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) is a reduced rate program for low-income house-holds that provides a 15% monthly discount on gas and electric charges for Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers.
California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE)
(800) 743-5000
www.pge.com/care
Consumers can check with their local utility company for information on Energy Assistance programs in their area.
PG&E Online Bill Pay 
Use Your Credit Card To Make Your Utility Payment! Pay Bills Online
utility.chargesmart.com
Excerpt:
How It Works | FAQ | Blog
Pay Portland General Electric Online
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_electricity_crisis Use Your Credit Card To Make Your Utility Payment! Pay Bills Online
utility.chargesmart.com
Excerpt:
How It Works | FAQ | Blog
Pay Portland General Electric Online
Excerpt:
Chronology[1][2][3]
1996 California begins to modify controls on its energy market and takes measures ostensibly to increase competition.
April 1998 Spot market for energy begins operation.
May 2000 Significant rise in energy price.
June 14, 2000 Blackouts affect 97,000 customers in San Francisco Bay area during a heat wave.
August 2000 San Diego Gas & Electric Company files a complaint alleging manipulation of the markets.
January 17–18, 2001 Blackouts affect several hundred thousand customers.
January 17, 2001 Governor Davis declares a state of emergency.
March 19–20, 2001 Blackouts affect 1.5 million customers.
April 2001 Pacific Gas & Electric Co. files for bankruptcy.
May 7–8, 2001 Blackouts affect upwards of 167,000 customers.
September 2001 Energy prices normalize.
December 2001 Following the bankruptcy of Enron, it is alleged that energy prices were manipulated by Enron.
February 2002 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission begins investigation of Enron's involvement.
Winter 2002 The Enron Tapes scandal begins to surface.
November 13, 2003 Governor Davis ends the state of emergency.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/crime-scene/chandra-levy/condits-name-emerges-at-levy-t.html
Excerpt:
Condit's name emerges at Levy trial
A D.C. police sergeant who oversaw the first weeks of the Chandra Levy investigation in 2001 testified Tuesday that he thought that the probe was becoming too focused on Gary Condit, the married California congressman who had been dating Levy and became the prime suspect in the 24-year-old intern's disappearance.
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7390190-what-about-the-dick-cheneychandra-levy-connection
Excerpt:
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/7390190-what-about-the-dick-cheneychandra-levy-connection
Excerpt:
What about the Dick Cheney/Chandra Levy connection?
California congressman Gary Condit was the sole media highlighted suspect in the Chandra Levy disappearance even though he was with vice president Cheney when she disappeared. This was perhaps the best alibi he could have on the whole planet other than being with the president himself. He was meeting with Cheney about issues related to Cheney's Energy Task Force, the same one that still withholds details of meetings with Enron officials. September 11th took the Condit/Levy story off front pages. Enron crashed soon after. Her skeletal remains were discovered by a man walking his dog a year after she disappeared in a wooded area that had been searched three times by cadaver dogs in the days and weeks after she disappeared. The searches were conducted in exceptionally hot weather where it shouldn't have taken dogs to find her recently deceased rotting corpse as the stench would have been strong enough for her searches to follow.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/689627/posts (Chandra Levy death, timeframe)
Excerpt:
May 1, 2001: (At 4:15 a.m., a neighbor heard screams outside Levy's apartment building and called 911 at 4:37 a.m. Police responded but found nothing. There is no reason to believe this is related to the case since police seem pretty certain Chandra was in her apartment using her computer later that morning.)
Levy, in the morning, may have ordered copies of keys at a hardware store across the street from the health club. If so, she picked them up in the afternoon. Police discount this report.
From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Levy's computer was connected to the Internet from her third floor studio apartment above 21st Street, surfing the Web for information on Klingle Mansion at Rock Creek Park, as well as the sites of several newspapers; she also e-mailed her friends and her mother.
Condit met with Vice President Cheney at 12:30 p.m. for a private meeting lasting about 20 minutes. The meeting was over by 1:00 PM.
Condit returned to his office at 3:30 PM for meetings and phone conversations with constituents.
Condit left his office for a 5:00 PM doctor's appointment.
At 6:25 p.m. and 6:35 p.m., Condit participated in two roll call votes on Capitol Hill.
Newsweek reports that Condit was driven to his Adams Morgan apartment by a staff member about 7 p.m. There he spent the evening with his wife.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Chiang
Excerpt:
Joyce Chiang (江宜玲 Jiāng Yílíng December 7, 1970–c. January 1999) was an attorney with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, who was murdered. Chiang disappeared on January 9, 1999, in Washington, D.C., and was later found dead. The story of her disappearance and the discovery of her remains in the Potomac River, which drew only local news coverage at the time, was rediscovered and received some national attention in the wake of the similar disappearance of Chandra Levy in May 2001.
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/23/local/la-me-chiang-20110623
Excerpt:
Controller's unlikely turn in spotlight
Chiang, described as 'a numbers guy,' makes waves with decision to dock lawmakers' pay.
State Controller John Chiang has won praise on Facebook for denying lawmakers… (Jonathan Alcorn / Bloomberg)
http://www.mercedid.org/careprogram
Excerpt:
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