Shakeup at PG&E, state agency over 'inappropriate' talks

[Newsjock]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Three Pacific Gas and Electric Co. executives and a top aide to the head of the California Public Utilities Commission were ousted Monday over "inappropriate" back-channel communications between the company and state regulators in the fallout over the San Bruno gas explosion case.

The president of the utilities commission, Michael Peevey, also agreed to step aside from voting on whether to uphold a proposed $1.4 billion penalty against the company for the San Bruno disaster.

The revelations and shakeup followed a lawsuit by San Bruno officials seeking communications between the utility and the commission. After receiving a batch of 7,000 e-mails in July, the city asked Peevey to recuse himself from the penalty case, saying the e-mails showed an overly cozy relationship between the company and the state agency that regulates it.

While denying wrongdoing, PG&E promised a probe of 65,000 additional e-mail communications over a five-year period. On Monday, the utility disclosed a string of new e-mails - all from January of this year - that showed how PG&E sought to influence the selection of an administrative law judge to decide how much rates should go up to pay for gas-pipeline improvements following the San Bruno blast.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Shakeup-at-PG-amp-E-state-agency-over-5757375.php

[truedelphi]

1. Hanging some of these people from lamp posts would be too good for these people.

P G & E being the company that actually counter-sued the people of that community for the explosion. I forget their legal rationale, but I guess the company figured if the case was assigned the "right judge," then they could make a case that the people themselves caused the gas line to blow up.

[Fred Sanders]

2. Corporations sought to have a friendly judge appointed who would set rates.....and why is no one in

jail?

[Kelvin Mace]

3. Because

corporations are people, my friend, who never go to jail.