Corporation Commission "Corruption and Deceit"

[patric]

While the corporation commission has let previous rate hikes go through, not every commissioner has agreed. On Tuesday, Commissioner Bob Anthony submitted a 14-page dissenting opinion related to a different fuel cost battle. While the case involves Oklahoma Gas & Electric, the opinion cites "credible evidence of public corruption and undisclosed conflicts of interest" at OCC where "deceit abounds."

"The OCC has a long history of permitting cozy relationships with powerful special interests and neglecting to acknowledge and correct its subsequent regulatory failures," wrote Anthony, going on to say that Oklahoma's Constitution gives the commission investigatory powers through Article IX. According to that article, the commission has the power and "duty" to regulate companies while "correcting abuses and preventing unjust discrimination and extortion" through the enforcement of rates it has the power to "alter or amend."

Tom Seng, professor and director of the school of energy at the University of Tulsa, said the commission isn't where responsibility for regulation chiefly rests, however. Seng, who said rate increases both "proposed and already approved" are related to February 2021's winter storm when utilities paid suppliers more for gas, said Gov. Kevin Stitt bears more responsibility.

"The governor declared that an emergency existed [in 2021] which automatically activated the anti-price gouging statutes. That would make the actions of some of these suppliers illegal," Seng wrote to Public Radio Tulsa.

Seng also pointed to Attorney General John O'Connor, whose office is tasked with consumer protection. In May, O'Connor was chastised by two state Supreme Court justices for not more vigorously representing ratepayers.

"The question has to be why the governor and attorney general failed in their duty to investigate these suppliers so that the ratepayers of Oklahoma were treated fairly by those who sold natural gas to our utilities," wrote Seng. "This was a 'human needs' event and I find it abhorrent that some people made windfall profits on gas." 

Greene declined to disclose PSO's net profit.

More:  https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/local-regional/2022-11-23/pso-proposes-third-rate-hike-in-one-year-as-corporation-commissioner-questions-corruption-and-deceit

[patric]

'Putrid core of greed, public corruption and regulatory capture,' Bob Anthony slams fellow Corporation Commissioners over 2021 winter fuel costs

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony is speaking out after his colleagues approved orders declaring over $6 billion of OG&E, ONG and PSO's fuel procurement costs and expenses for 2021 to be "fair, just, reasonable and prudent," including the historically high natural gas prices paid during the February 2021 Winter Storm.

In his 180-page dissent, Anthony says, "Giving these utilities an unqualified clean bill of health for all their calendar year 2021 fuel procurement processes and costs is improper, irresponsible, negligent, an abuse of discretion, and a slap in the face to the hardworking ratepayers of Oklahoma who will ultimately pay for them."

"Unnecessarily hurrying these 'prudence review' cases through in the face of mounting evidence of wrongdoing makes no lawfully or economically justifiable sense," Anthony writes. "But if you are engaging in a multi-billion-dollar cover-up, it makes perfect sense!"

Anthony says there has never been a proper or thorough 'prudence review' of the 2021 fuel procurement processes and costs in full compliance with relevant State Statutes and OCC Rules.
"It appears that not a single dollar of these utilities' billions in 2021 fuel costs and expenses was disallowed for imprudence – not $1!" Anthony continued. "That alone probably says all that needs to be said about the thoroughness and legal validity of these 'comprehensive' calendar-year-2021 prudence reviews."

"Make no mistake, this is damage control."  In Oklahoma, customers have been required to pay more each month on their utility bills to recoup the costs of natural gas purchased at a premium. Those fees will be tacked onto our bills for the next 28 years.

Read his full dissent:
https://kfor.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/04/PUD2022-000057_86_Dissenting_Opinion_of_Individual_Commissioner_1682012129495-FAC-approval-dissent-with-attachments_4-20-2023.pdf

[dbacksfan 2.0]

40 years later and it looks like nothing has changed. Any of these idiots related to criminals from the late 70's early 80's thugs?

[Hoss]

40 years later and it looks like nothing has changed. Any of these idiots related to criminals from the late 70's early 80's thugs?

God I almost forgot about all that scandal....partially the influence of Don Henley's song 'Dirty Laundry' if I remember correctly.

EDIT: It was county commissioners, not corporation.  My mistake.

[dbacksfan 2.0]

God I almost forgot about all that scandal....partially the influence of Don Henley's song 'Dirty Laundry' if I remember correctly.

EDIT: It was county commissioners, not corporation.  My mistake.

My mistake as well. I've been reading about this and when I remembered what part of the state this was in it just reminded me of the County Commissioner scandal and the good Ole boy network.

Somewhere in a box I have the Doonsebury strips from the scandal back then.

It's funny, I often find myself quoting Don Henley lyrics.

[Hoss]

My mistake as well. I've been reading about this and when I remembered what part of the state this was in it just reminded me of the County Commissioner scandal and the good Ole boy network.

Somewhere in a box I have the Doonsebury strips from the scandal back then.

It's funny, I often find myself quoting Don Henley lyrics.

Yeah, it wasn't the whole song that he based the scandal from, just the two lines:

"Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies,
We got out dirty little fingers, in everybody's pie"...

[dbacksfan 2.0]

Yeah, it wasn't the whole song that he based the scandal from, just the two lines:

"Dirty little secrets, dirty little lies,
We got out dirty little fingers, in everybody's pie"...

I was really off. I confused this thread with the one Patric has about the McCurtain County thugs. I will stand on my thoughts about the Corp Comm being corrupt as well.

https://www.news9.com/story/643c8027600c0b072e7b2dc6/fbi-investigating-alleged-death-threats-made-by-county-officials-against-oklahoma-newspaper-reporters

[Red Arrow]

I was really off. I confused this thread with the one Patric has about the McCurtain County thugs. I will stand on my thoughts about the Corp Comm being corrupt as well.

That's OK.  There's more than enough corruption to go around.