PUC denies request for communications regarding closure of San Onofre
SAN ONOFRE (KUSI) — It took the board of the California Public Utility Commission less than a minute Thursday to reject Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre’s latest public-records request in his battle over the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.
Aguirre has been fighting to prove there was major wrong-doing in the way the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was shut down and the cost that was passed off to utility customers.
Related Link: Owners consider off-site storage of San Onofre nuclear waste
Most of the news lately involving the now-defunct San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant has been over the disposal of more than 3.5 million pounds of waste. But a major issue associated with the shut down is why the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) thinks consumers should bear most of the cost.
Aguirre believes more than 60 San Onofre-related emails between PUC officials and California Governor Jerry Brown’s office would prove that indictments are in order. Aguirre does have some communications between the two offices, but believes the other emails are necessary to prove his case.
For example, The day after then Senator Barbara Boxer called on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate, Southern California Edison executive Michael Hoover sent an email to another company official:
“‘We have a small window of opportunity to work with parties to implement a shutdown in exchange for getting our money back,’ and we think that’s exactly what happened here,” Aguirre said reading from the email.
Related Link: Judge to hear lawsuit against burying nuclear waste at San Onofre beach
Thursday morning, Aguirre’s request for the communications was denied without any discussion. The PUC staff recommendation against the release was put in the commissioner’s consent agenda, meaning a ‘yes’ vote takes about 20 seconds without any public discussion.
“There was no consideration, whatsoever, no discussion, our explanation papers were never given to the commissioners,” Aguirre said.
So it is back to court for Aguirre, where the track record isn’t very good. He agrees he needs a high profile advocate, perhaps a federal prosecutor.
“The people of California have the right to know that the San Onofre five-billion dollar fraud involves the Governor’s office.”
