PG&E to Start Billing Non-Customers

[The Straight Story]

PG&E to Start Billing Non-Customers
Written by Jason Kobely, Internet News Producer

RIPON, CA - Judy Hill of Ripon just got a letter saying Pacific Gas & Electric would soon start billing her -- even though she isn't even a customer.

"I thought it was impossible," said Hill.

Hill gets her power from the Modesto Irrigation District, which has been fighting PG&E over an extra tax levied against non-customers who live in parts of Ripon, Escalon, Atwater, Waterford and Merced.

PG&E says it needs to collect the monthly charge of up to $9 per home and $21 per business in newly developed areas that the utility planned to serve before local irrigation districts moved in.

"The utility needs to recover the costs of building infastructure to serve people in the northern San Joaquin Valley," said PG&E spokesperson Nicole Tam.

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=40902

[alfredo]

1. So they want others to pay for their fuck up.

[ThatsMyBarack]

2. Erin Brockovich, where art thou?

[csziggy]

3. How can this be legal?

I know - in the article it says, "Despite the anger, the billing is legal. Earlier this year, the California Public Utilities Commission gave PG&E the go-ahead to begin billing non-customers."

But WTF?! These people will be getting a LOT of letters.

California Public Utilities Commission, 505 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102
The Governor appoints the five Commissioners, who must be confirmed by the Senate, for six year staggered terms. The Governor appoints one of the five to serve as Commission President:
Michael R. Peevey, President
Dian M. Grueneich
John Bohn
Rachelle Chong
Timothy Alan Simon

[LiberalFighter]

4. What have their state representatives and state senators been doing about this?

How much are they paying Schwarzenegger?

[Richard Steele]

6. Accepting "campaign contributions" from PG&E, most likely. nm

[bbgrunt]

5. so what will they do if everyone just refuses to pay for

a service they do not use?

[tyedyeto]

7. 'Fights' between MID and PG&E have been ongoing for decades

Beginning in the 1920's with the decision to build the power plant at Don Pedro Reservoir.


In and around the Modesto area, builders have decimated so many orchards and farmlands to build houses and shopping centers.

It's now a question of who put into place the initial transmission lines and does that company also have to the right to charge customers for that construction. What is in those initial contracts? Did they provide a method to recoup their money? Is it specified that, since they did initial construction, they were also to be the electrical provider for those areas? Also, did MID compete for said construction project?

Just a few questions I have about the subject.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. They do have an argument, but...

there should be a better way to deal with this.

We went through a similar thing in Joisey, when the utilities filed their rates and got approval to build new plants on the basis of population trends and other standard critieria. Then, the state changed the rules on them after they started building, and allowed new parties to supply power but made no accomodation for the capital already spent by existing utilities. Eventually it got worked out, but it was a mess for a while.

Neither the utilities nor the ratepayers should be penalized when the rules change in the middle of the game.