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Friday, February 9, 2018

Piece of the pie

Some blog readers may recall the scandal that peripherally involved UC and the California Public Utilities Commission.* Its echoes are continuing:
  • The University of California is requesting to be recognized as a party to the settlement of costs for the failed San Onofre nuclear plant north of Oceanside.
  • In a previous version of the settlement, UC campuses had a shot at grant funding for greenhouse gas research. The new proposal instead favors California State University researchers.
  • A decision from the California Public Utilities Commission is expected later this year.
One loser in the agreement last week to settle a dispute over costs related to the San Onofre nuclear plant closure was the University of California, which stood to collect $25 million in research funding until it was specifically precluded from participating in the latest deal...
In a five-page motion submitted to the commission this week, the University of California argues that it should not be penalized for what turned out to be a secret negotiation between the former utilities commission president and an executive from majority plant owner Southern California Edison...
The deal... would cut in half the $25 million that utilities were directed to pay in 2014 for research on climate change.
The latest agreement between utility lawyers and consumer advocates specifically excludes the University of California from collecting any of the research funding, which was trimmed to $12.5 million.
UC said in its filing that it is California’s “primary state-supported academic agency for research” and should not be precluded from competing for the money...

Full story at:
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