Edison fined $16.7 million for 'secret' San Onofre chats
Source: Orange County Register
Southern California Edison was slapped with a $16.7 million fine Thursday by the California Public Utilities Commission for failing to disclose “secret” chats between an Edison executive and CPUC official – about half as much as a judge had originally threatened.
While Edison was disappointed with the fine, critics blasted it as a walk in the park.
“This is a big win for Edison, which did not contest the penalty amount,” said John Geesman, attorney for the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility. “You pay a token fine, you get your wrist slapped, you pocket a couple billion dollars. That’s a phenomenal return on investment.”
The chats centered on how to handle San Onofre’s shutdown. Of particular interest was a tête-à-tête at the luxury Hotel Bristol Warsaw in Poland during a conference in 2013, between then-CPUC President Michael Peevey and Edison’s then-Executive Vice President Stephen Pickett. There, on hotel stationery, Pickett scribbled the framework of “a possible resolution” to the San Onofre debacle that’s stunningly similar to the one ultimately adopted.
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Read more: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/edison-694699-cpuc-san.html