Two major consumer groups are charging that San Diego Gas and Electric didn't provide all the information it should have when asked state regulators to approve a huge rate increase. KPBS reporter Alan Ray has the story.
San Diego-based Utility Consumers Action Network and The Utility Reform Network in San Francisco claim that SDGE had plans for a major cost-cutting program, but kept the plans secret when it told the state Public Utilities Commission that it needed rate increases totaling $1.5 billion to cover rising costs.
A consultant to the consumer groups tells the Union Tribune the utility plans to cut over-all costs by five per cent, and reduce staffing in some departments by half.
SDGE says it needs to keep the cost-cutting plan confidential so it doesn't effect negotiations with vendors. The consumer groups now say they want a delay of at least several months so they can study the 5,000-page plan.
The utility wanted the rate increase to start next year, but a delay in PUC approval could change that timeline.
SDGE claims the cost-cutting plan is still in the review stage, and any saving it might produce would be passed on to customers.
