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Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
Get the emails, then get the data they are hiding, then follow the money.— August 7, 2015 6:18 a.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
Don Bauder, The SONGS settlement is a hit for.the ratepayers. It speaks volumes on regulatory capture. But never forget that the other purpose of this settlement was to cover up the fact that the operator endangered the people in Southern California. The quest for the operating data to prove this continues. Aguirre and Severson are involved in this quest. You may think that the issue of nuclear safety is somehow peripheral, but the more you understand about the reasons for the closure of SONGS, and the endangerment of the people of Southern California, the more you will understand the national importance of this story. Your point that the judicial system may be incapable of providing a remedy for ratepayers is beyond dispute. The NRC was unable to have hearings because of the decision to close SONGS. There was no meltdown, so there will be no lawsuit there. And the Mitsubishi arbitration will not yield public information. But SCE is still holding data about the two reactors that prove that they were experimenting with replacement steam generators. Those experimentations, according to my experts, created a clear and present danger to Southern California residents. Senator Boxer understands this completely. But with the Republican takeover, she lost power to further investigate this issue. That is where the press comes in. I hate to see ratepayers get screwed over; but the public endangerment is the big issue going forward because there are a dozen or so other reactors in use of a similar design, and these sorts of shenanigans are a pattern that could cost trillions of dollars and kill and injure many people. Once the unreleased data proving my point becomes public, the more you will be grateful that you did not live in San Diego had the worst case scenario actually happened at SONGS. It was closer that you know. How many close calls do we need in this industry? Experimenting with replacement steam generators is the cause of the closure. That was the purpose of Phase Three. The closure prevented NRC investigation; the PUC went along with a premature settlement to avoid the Phase Three investigation, Boxer lost her chair, and the Mitsubishi arbitration is private and a show.trial. The criminal investigations are about judge shopping and contributions to non-profit organizations, not safety issues. SCE is refusing to produce this data because they claim, they are "too busy"and that it is "proprietary." This is the BIG story. I hope that Aguirre and Severson, Langley and Lutz get paid for their tireless efforts. I hope that the ratepayers do not get stuck with a few more bucks on their bill. But the necessity of digging down into that withheld data involves public safety issues much much larger than a few bucks more on our utility bills.— August 7, 2015 6:12 a.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
The replacement steam generators were more correctly designed by Mitsubishi but were to be tested by SCE after they were installed. That is right in the contract. This means that a dangerous experiment was being carried out with the population of Southern California being endangered. This is what must be covered up. Experimenting in this fashion is unethical for engineers and illegal on many levels. The therefore deal had to be done in Warsaw, Poland. SCE never wants this information to see the light of day. They still have unreleased data that has been demanded by safety advocates. So what are they hiding? I have written engineering opinions for these assertions. These are not just my opinions. Let's set aside the settlement and determine the issue of lack of prudence and then allocate most of the 3.3 billion dollars in losses back to SCE shareholders. They can then sue the officers and directors and lawfirms responsible. Nuclear safety - that oxymoron - will thus be promoted. The rule of law and order will be restored. Ratepayers rights will be protected. Nuclear power must be transparent so that profits are never placed over safety. Better yet, get rid of the weapons and this form of generating electricity.— August 6, 2015 5:38 p.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
CaptD, Yes, the fact that Darling sees that egregious misconduct occurred that unduly influenced the outcome of the hearings should be grounds to set aside the settlement itself. That is the only just remedy. She should sanction SCE, too. The issue of "prudent operation" was relegated to Phase Three. The settlement was premature before the issue of fault (prudent operation) could be heard. That was intentional to cover up the extreme endangerment of public safety. The nuclear power cartels do not want the public to know that profits are placed over safety. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd fabricated replacement steam generator tubes to SCE specs. These replacement parts were knowingly used in the reactors by SCE. The NRC was told that these replacements were "equivalent." Clearly, they were not. The arbitration between Mitsubishi and SCE is all for show. We are talking about public safety and nuclear reactors. The powers that be want it all swept under the rug. Wait until Americans face a Chernobyl or a Fukushima Daiichi. Three Mile Island was a picnic compared to those events. It is time to stop this cover up. This is the 70th anniversity of events in Japan. We have Hanford, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and WiPP with nuclear waste we cannot ever make safe. We are updating our nuclear arsenal with trillions of dollars. I can predict how this will all end.— August 6, 2015 5:12 p.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
Correct, Visduh!— August 6, 2015 10:32 a.m.
Judge spanks Edison for unreported meetings
The judge had some ex parte contacts, but she claims that these contacts were about scheduling, not substantive issues. But she sure seems like she is very biased in favor of private utilities. She should recuse herself. Her emails are being sought in a criminal investigation while she is ruling on motions for sanctions for ex parte communications. Her ex parte communications? You have to just take her word for these. We should never have to just take an administrative law judge's word for anything. She is an unelected judge. There is no avenue for an appeal. She should overturn the entire settlement and recuse herself.— August 6, 2015 10:28 a.m.
Sending a message from 60 feet up
Community involvement and linking together throughout San Diego's communities makes it harder for developers to go super dense. What a great symbol the red ballon has become!— July 25, 2015 10:08 a.m.
Nuke storage by the sea
Uranium dump by the sea.... the electricity came and went, but the spent fuel rods will sit in a tsunami zone waiting to be innudated by rising sea levels. There are no places to safely move the spent fuel rods to. Aguirre once again proves that he is a great attorney and a fearless fighter. San Diego had a great City Attorney. Look at what replaced him.— July 21, 2015 6:53 p.m.
Confidential emails ought to jog the memory
What a gravy train! What "contribution" did TURN make? What did TURN receive? Maybe people will appreciate the jury system more where witnesses can be cross-examined and documents can be subpoenaed. These "show-and-tell" commissions are a total joke. The CPUC rewards those intervenors who go along by awarding huge fee awards, and those who do not go along are deemed not to have made a "contribution, " and they are awarded nothing. Some intervenors actually stated in their briefs that they were supporting the settlement because it would be hopeless to oppose the "deal." This was after writing 20 pages of facts that questioned the settlement. Those fake non-profit organizations that received donations and, who, in turn, appeared and supported the settlement, should be publicly shamed. SCE paraded these organizations in front of the audience and reporters to astroturf the settlement. Nobody can ask, "How much did your little organization receive?" What a total fraud, charade, and kangeroo court! It never passed the smell test. You could see that the fix was in. Enron-at-San Onfre! Neither political party cares because of the contributions to their candidates' campaigns. I hope the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the theory of taking without due process in violation of the 5th Amendment. There always has to be judicial review of any commission. If not, arbitrary decisions are encouraged, and paticipants rewarded for bad conduct. What outrageous conduct! This was a swindle and a cover-up using extreme misconduct. It involved billions of dollars and was designed to conceal public endangerment by the operator.— June 27, 2015 7:35 p.m.
Reverse "rape of the ratepayer"
Don, There are some who are brain-washed; others are paid shills. It is hard to tell which are which. I can state to a very high degree of certainty that you are not engineering a rerun of Michael Aguirre for Mayor. Michael Aguirre uses the press very effectively in some of his causes. I would not see this as seeking personal attention. That is part of the job of advocacy. Some people do not like him because he is so smart. Rather than arguing with him on the facts, they attack him personally, often behind his back. Aguirre told us to get ready for a major drought two years ago, for example. He helped the City avoid bankruptcy with the pension mess. He nailed tbe crooks at the PUC. I have known him since 1987. I am always impressed with his abilities and performance. I told him this a few months ago and he was actually embarrassed. So I do not see him as an ego maniac.— June 27, 2015 2:38 p.m.