Communications

Edison International’s Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) on Friday disputed a state regulatory judge’s ruling on 10 alleged ex parte violations by the utility, contending that only one of the violations was a reportable communication under current state regulatory rules. No large penalty or sanction should he imposed, SCE argued.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Wednesday held an unprecedented public hearing on reforming the five-member regulatory panel’s inner workings, but much of the feedback it received pointed toward proposed legislative reforms.

A regulatory commission judge in California on Wednesday issued a ruling accusing a second major utility, Edison International’s Southern California Edison Co. (SCE), of up to 10 unreported ex parte communications over a 15-month period. It could result in up to nearly $34 million in fines for the utility.

Decision-makers at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have abused limits on their private communications with the companies they oversee to the advantage of the state’s major energy and other utilities, according to an independent report released Monday.

Decision-makers at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have abused limits on their private communications with the companies they oversee to the advantage of the state's major energy and other utilities, according to an independent report released Monday.

Calls for change at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) grew louder at a state Senate hearing Wednesday during which outside experts called for reforms and a consumer attorney exposed alleged ex parte communications violations dating back more than a decade.

More concerns about ongoing relationships between regulators and the companies they oversee continue to swirl in California where some state energy officials increasingly are being criticized for being too cozy with the energy industry. Regulators and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) still can’t silence the critics, and the issue is spreading to other utilities and the oil/natural gas sector in the state.

California regulators on Thursday dropped another hammer on Pacific Gas and Electric Co.(PG&E) for its self-reported communications violations regarding a pending rate case. Separately, the regulators in executive session slapped a $10.85 million staff citation on PG&E for a natural gas explosion at a vacant residence in Carmel, CA, in March.

Two billion-dollar state regulatory cases crucial to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s (PG&E) future natural gas operations are in limbo following the recent email-driven communications violations scandal involving the combination utility and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) (see Daily GPI, Sept. 16).