Category: Regulatory Capture

South Carolina public advocate hires Dominion Energy attorney
The South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, whose stated mission is to represent South Carolinians in utility matters before the Public Service Commission, has hired a lawyer who had previously...

FirstEnergy scandal is latest example of utility corruption, deceit
Utilities have deceived public officials and investors to grow profits, occasionally leading to criminal investigations and prosecution.

Flawed Reports and Captured Commission Lead to Attack on Louisiana Solar Net Metering
UPDATE September 10, 2019: Documents reported by PV magazine indicate that the position on which the LPSC will be voting on Wednesday September 11, will be a “buy-all, sell-all” arrangement...

Entergy Leaves Questions Unanswered in Paid Actor Scandal
Entergy continues to receive significant scrutiny due to its use of paid actors to feign public support in New Orleans City Council hearings for a proposed natural gas plant, which...

Arizona Commissioner Andy Tobin texted APS lobbyists frequently, including about open rate case
Tobin asked APS lobbyist whether they had a “public information strategy planned” to combat negative media coverage of a rate increase request while the case was still pending

Questionable Campaign Contributions Tick Back Up for Eaton as Election Nears
UPDATE (11/5/18) – Campaigns were required to file their final campaign finance reports before the election by November 1st, for contributions received through October 25th. The filings provided yet another...

Arizona Commissioner Justin Olson answered questions about Arizona’s energy policy by copying parts of an APS memo verbatim, emails show
Emails show that Olson forwarded a Wall Street analyst's questions to an APS lobbyist, then read from APS' answers verbatim.

Transcript: Conference Call between Arizona Corporation Commissioner Justin Olson and Credit Suisse Analyst (May 18, 2018)
Transcript: Conference Call between Arizona Corporation Commissioner Justin Olson and Credit Suisse Analyst (May 18, 2018) Olson: …my background, with my MBA in finance, my experience in the private sector...
Arizona Utility commissioner gave keynote to natural gas lobbyists at private steakhouse meeting
Arizona utility commissioners Andy Tobin and Tom Forese attended and spoke at a private conference of lobbyists for pipeline development, according to a conference agenda

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Andy Tobin Caught With Hand in Cookie Jar
Republican Commissioner Andy Tobin has been caught soliciting donations for a side job that he would do alongside his work at the ACC. Tobin’s solicitation calls into serious question whether...