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VICTORY: Utility Companies Pay the Bill for Their Mistakes

SanOnofre

After utilities companies botched repairs at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego County, California, the plant closed. Unbelievably, the utilities companies demanded that their customers pick up the tab for the repairs—to the tune of $500 million. So California ratepayer John Mattes started a MoveOn Petition to San Diego Mayor Bob Filner and other city officials, asking them to intervene on customers’ behalf. The petition gathered thousands of signatures, and ultimately, a judge ruled that the utilities could not bill ratepayers for “unsound decisions.” The ruling meant tens of millions of dollars in refunds for utilities customers.