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☆ California Will Add a Fixed Charge to Electric Bills and Reduce Rates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ivan Penn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Utility regulators in California on Thursday changed how most residents will pay for energy by adding a new fixed monthly charge and lowering the rates that apply to energy use. Officials said the shift would reduce monthly bills for millions of residents and support the use of electric vehicles and appliances that run on electricity, rather than fossil fuels. The decision by the California Public Utilities Commission will apply to the rates charged by investor-owned utilities, which provide power to about 70 percent of the state. Starting next year, most customers of those companies will be required to pay a $24.15 monthly charge. California’s residential electric rates, which averaged 31.2 cents per kilowatt-hour in February, are the highest in the country after Hawaii, where rates were about 44 cents, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, Regulators, Energy Information Administration Locations: California, Hawaii

☆ PG&E Seeks Approval to Sell Stake in Its Power Operations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ivan Penn | More About Ivan Penn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pacific Gas & Electric announced plans on Tuesday to sell a minority stake in its power-generation business, part of its strategy to reduce electricity rates, continue wildfire prevention and further develop clean energy. The exclusive deal with the global investment firm KKR is part of PG&E’s plan to transfer its nonnuclear power generation to a newly formed subsidiary, Pacific Generation. The proposals for the subsidiary and the KKR stake require approval by the California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. KKR, which manages $59 billion in assets, operates a global infrastructure business with expertise in the utility and renewable energy industry. PG&E said in a statement that the investment firm’s access to capital gave it the ability to take a long-term approach in its strategies.

Persons: ” Carolyn Burke Organizations: Gas & Electric, KKR, Pacific, California Public Utilities Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

☆ Robotaxi regulators say Tesla hasn’t contacted them about plans teased by Musk
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( David Ingram | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Musk hinted at his plans in a brief post late Friday afternoon on X, writing: "Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8." Musk has talked about a robotaxi service for years. In 2019, he discussed plans to launch a robotaxi fleet using Tesla vehicles that people had leased and then returned. Musk has also talked about a robotaxi service with decentralized ownership, in which Tesla owners could rent out their cars for fares. Amazon subsidiary Zoox has said it has authorization from Nevada to operate a robotaxi service, which hasn't launched.

Persons: robotaxis, Tesla, Elon Musk, Brad Templeton, Templeton, Cruise, Musk, Zoox, hasn't, Eli Rohl Organizations: The California Department of Motor Vehicles, California Public Utilities Commission, NBC, DMV, Google, General Motors, Phoenix, Toyota, Car Dealers Association, Reuters, Cruise, Transportation Department, Nevada DMV, The, The Nevada DMV, California DMV Locations: California, San Francisco, Los Angeles, leaseholders, Arizona, Nevada, The Nevada

General Motors' Cruise self-driving vehicle unit will redeploy cars on U.S. roadways for the first time since October, beginning with a small fleet of human-driven vehicles in Phoenix, the company said Tuesday. Cruise said its "goal is to resume driverless operations," however it did not provide a timeline for doing so. The probe also investigated allegations of a coverup by Cruise leadership, but did not find any evidence to support those claims. Prior to the accident, Cruise was planning an aggressive expansion of robotaxis outside its home market, where the majority of its vehicles operated. In addition to the ceasing of operations, Cruise leadership has been gutted: Its cofounders, including CEO and cofounder Kyle Vogt, resigned and nine other leaders were ousted.

Persons: Cruise, We've, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Motors, GM, Cruise, California DMV, California Public Utilities Commission, Traffic Safety Administration, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: Phoenix, San Francisco, California

☆ AI is power-intensive. Top Morgan Stanley portfolio manager says that's an opportunity for one stock
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Weizhen Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

AI is very power-intensive — and its power needs are only set to rise in the coming years. Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Aaron Dunn says the "next big bottleneck" for the hyperscalers — which are doing a lot of the cloud computing for AI applications — is either power or fiber. And that's why Dunn is "pretty bullish" on utilities, naming one stock to play it: CMS Energy . "And so these utilities … have a very favorable opportunity to draw solid earnings growth and good returns for them," Dunn concluded. Their power consumption is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11% through 2030, the bank said.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley Investment Management's Aaron Dunn, CNBC's, Dunn, Eaton Vance, BofA, — CNBC's Pia Singh Organizations: Morgan, Morgan Stanley Investment, Morgan Stanley U.S . Value, CMS Energy, CNBC, Emerson, Nvidia Locations: United States

More than two years later, only four states — Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Hawaii — have opened stations funded by the program. The Biden administration says the federal charging program is on track. The grants will fund 47 EV charging stations and related projects in 22 states and Puerto Rico, including 7,500 charging ports. But even some of the government’s own experts say 500,000 public chargers won’t be enough to meet Biden’s ambitious climate goals. The availability of charging stations is key to persuading Americans to buy EVs.

Persons: Liam Sawyer, Sawyer, ”, Joe Biden, Biden, Shailen Bhatt, “, ” Bhatt, “ We’re, ″, Gabe Klein, Bhatt, Tesla, Mike DeWine, DeWine, Preeti Choudhary, Loren McDonald, you’re, ” ___ Daly, John Organizations: —, Ford, Allegheny National Forest, Pilot Travel, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, Democrat, Transportation, Walmart, Joint Office of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Alternative Fuels Data, Energy Department, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Energy, Institute, University of Chicago ., Republican Gov, Ohio, Department of Transportation, Public Utilities Commission, “ Locations: Ohio, Indianapolis, Pennsylvania, Columbus , Ohio, London , Ohio, — Ohio, New York , Pennsylvania, Hawaii, U.S, Maine , Vermont, Colorado, Puerto Rico, America, California, Washington, St, Detroit, AP.org

☆ Hollywood's newest star is the Waymo robotaxi
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Waymo can now operate its Waymo One service in Los Angeles. AdvertisementWaymo is now approved to operate its driverless vehicles in Los Angeles and additional parts of the Bay Area. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed concern about Waymo vehicles blocking the roads when emergency vehicles are trying to pass, which has happened several times in San Francisco. Waymo vehicles have been filmed cutting off road access and blocking public transport and emergency vehicles. There are also a few incidents of Waymo vehicles injuring people.

Persons: —, Waymo, Julia Ilina, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Ilina, Illina, Tilly Chang, Cruise Organizations: Service, California Public Utilities Commission, Los, San, Los Angeles Mayor, Cruise, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, DMV Locations: Los Angeles, Bay, California, San Francisco, San Mateo, San Francisco Peninsula, San Francisco —, San Francisco County

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California regulators on Friday authorized Waymo to expand services of its fleet of robotaxis into Los Angeles and to cities on the peninsula south of San Francisco. The California Public Utilities Commission approved Waymo's application for the expansion of its self-driving taxi operations beyond San Francisco starting Friday. The company owned by Google parent Alphabet Inc. has also been operating the service in Phoenix since 2020. The expansion for Waymo comes after California authorities revoked the license of a rival robotaxi service owned by General Motors after determining its driverless cars that had been transporting passengers throughout San Francisco were a dangerous menace. Officials in San Mateo County and Los Angeles had opposed the expansion and want more local say over how robotaxis can operate.

Persons: Waymo Organizations: FRANCISCO, —, The, The California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco, Google, Inc, General Motors, Cruise Locations: — California, robotaxis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, The California, San, Phoenix, LA, California, San Mateo County

Alphabet's Waymo robotaxi unit won approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to expand service to parts of Los Angeles and the Bay Area, according to a notice posted to the regulator's website on Friday. "Waymo may begin fared driverless passenger service operations in the specified areas of Los Angeles and the San Francisco Peninsula, effective today," the release said. In mid-February, Waymo initiated a voluntary recall filing notice with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, saying it would fix software issues. The latest notice applies to the commercial ride-sharing service Waymo One. WATCH: Crowd burns Waymo in San Francisco

Persons: Alphabet's, Waymo, Apple, Elon Musk's Tesla, Cruise robotaxis Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, San, National, Traffic Safety Administration, California Department of Motor Vehicles, General Motors, Cruise, Palo Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco Peninsula, Phoenix, California, Palo Alto, San Mateo County, San Francisco

☆ US Supreme Court prepares to hear landmark social media cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Monday’s Supreme Court showdown in NetChoice v. Paxton and Moody v. NetChoice will determine whether states can forbid social media companies from blocking or removing user content that goes against platform rules. The Florida and Texas laws are broadly written, but officials from both states say the laws will keep social media sites from unfairly silencing conservatives. Social media platforms have insisted for years that they don’t discriminate against right-wing speech. It also allows individual social media users to sue platforms if they believe they have been unfairly censored or “deplatformed.”Florida Gov. The NetChoice cases reflect a deep divide in how many people see social media.

Persons: Paxton, Moody, Ron DeSantis, Florida’s, Carl Juste, Greg Abbott, Donald Trump, Biden, David Paul Morris, “, ”, ” David Greene Organizations: Washington CNN, Facebook, YouTube, Social, Gov, Florida Gov, Miami Herald, Texas ’, Circuit, Republican, Texas, Bloomberg, Getty, Frontier Foundation, EFF, CNN, Freedom, Press Locations: Texas, Florida, . Texas, NetChoice, Miami, Walnut Creek , California

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A longtime public utilities regulator announced her candidacy on Thursday for North Dakota's lone U.S. House seat. North Dakota has an open race for its House seat because Republican Rep. Kelly Armstrong, first elected in 2018, is running for governor. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesOther Republican House candidates include former state representative Rick Becker, a plastic surgeon, and former state senator Tom Campbell, a potato farmer. A Democrat hasn't won a statewide election in North Dakota since 2012. If elected, she would be the first woman to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House.

Persons: —, Republican Julie Fedorchak, Fedorchak, ” Fedorchak, Kelly Armstrong, Rick Becker, Tom Campbell, Trygve Hammer, Democrat hasn't Organizations: N.D, North, Republican, Public Service Commission, GOP, Committee, Energy, Commerce, Democrat, Republican Party, Voters, U.S . House Locations: BISMARCK, North Dakota's, Bismarck, North Dakota, North, Fargo, U.S

☆ A San Francisco Lyft driver explains how Waymo's self-driving taxis have made driving even more competitive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A San Francisco-based Lyft driver said Waymo's self-driving taxis have made the job more competitive. And it is getting harder every day.”AdvertisementMore drivers, ride challenges, and self-driving taxis make ride-hailing competitiveA self-driving Waymo car in San Francisco. Lyft has a self-driving partnership with the riderless technology company Motional in Las Vegas, which has led to the completion of over 100,000 self-driving Lyft trips. In October, San Francisco banned Cruise from operating in San Francisco after it failed to disclose video footage of a woman being pinned under one of its vehicles. The company told BI it has a couple hundred self-driving taxis in its San Francisco fleet.

Persons: —, Nick Boenzi, San Francisco — Boenzi, Boenzi, He’d, ”, Lyft, Uber, Lyft’s, Cruise, Waymo, he’s, he’ll Organizations: Service, San Francisco International Airport, Getty, BI, who’ve, General Motors, California Public Utilities Commission, San, Lyft Locations: Francisco, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Cruise

The long-awaited indictments marked the latest development in what has been labeled the largest corruption case in Ohio history. In July 2021, Yost asked a judge in Columbus to add Jones, Dowling and Randazzo to his office's lawsuit against FirstEnergy. It identified 84 phone contacts between Jones and Householder and 14 phone contacts between Dowling and Householder. FirstEnergy admitted to its role in the bribery scheme as part of a July 2021 deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. A statement of facts signed by then-FirstEnergy CEO and President Steven Strah, who retired in 2022, detailed the involvement of Jones, Dowling, Randazzo and others in the bribery scheme.

Persons: Chuck Jones, Michael Dowling, Dave Yost, Sam Randazzo, Larry, Matt Borges, Jones, Dowling, Susan Baker Ross, Randazzo, Baker, Columbus, FirstEnergy, Mike DeWine, Carole Rendon, ”, Matthew Meyer, Richard Blake, Borges, Juan Cespedes, Jeffrey Longstreth, Neil Clark, Householder’s, Bill, Yost, Steven Strah Organizations: FirstEnergy Corp, Republican, Public Utilities Commission, Summit, FBI, Republican Gov, GPS, Industrial Energy, Randazzo, Sustainability, of Ohio, FirstEnergy, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio, Akron, Naples , Florida, FirstEnergy, U.S, Cincinnati, Columbus

☆ FirstEnergy Ex-C.E.O. and 2 Others Are Indicted in Bribery Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( J. Edward Moreno | More About J. Edward Moreno | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two former executives of FirstEnergy and a former public utility commissioner have been indicted in a multimillion-dollar public corruption scandal, Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, said on Monday. Collectively, the three men are charged with 27 counts, including theft, bribery and fraud. The charges were filed on Friday but weren’t made public until Mr. Yost announced them on Monday. The indictments are the first against FirstEnergy executives in perhaps the biggest public corruption scandal in Ohio’s history, one that has already landed a former lawmaker in prison. State and federal officials have accused the company, an Ohio-based electric utility that serves six million customers, of paying state lawmakers and regulators millions of dollars in exchange for subsidies and other favorable treatment.

Persons: Dave Yost, Charles Jones, Michael Dowling, Samuel Randazzo, weren’t, Yost Organizations: Public Utilities Commission, FirstEnergy Locations: State, Ohio

It's a story increasingly familiar in the energy industry: Some utility companies don't properly assess the risks wildfires pose to their operations. The primary purpose is to prevent power lines from igniting a wildfire during periods of high fire danger. The lawsuit also alleges the company "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during the forecasted high-fire danger conditions." A PG&E utility worker locates a gas main line in the rubble of a home burned down by wildfire in Paradise, California, Nov. 13, 2018. Several of those agencies track statewide wildfire information, but most did not keep track of the names of utility companies associated with wildfire incidents.

Persons: Michelle Glogovac, Glogovac, Laurie Allen, Brent Jones, Allen, Jones, inexcusably, Michael Wara, Shelee Kimura, Yuki Iwamura, David Pomerantz, Pomerantz, Patti Poppe, It's, JOSH EDELSON, Warren Buffett's, Stanford's, CNBC's Brian Sullivan, David Paul Morris, Institute's Pomerantz, Tama Organizations: CNBC, Electric, Energy, Stanford University, Hawaiian Electric, AFP, Getty, Policy, Policy Institute, NV Energy, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Bloomberg, Getty Images Locations: Paradise , California, Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, Maui, Maui County, Lahaina, California, Nevada, Warren, — Arizona, California , Colorado, Hawaii , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Utah, Washington, Arizona , New Mexico, Utah

General Motors' troubled robotaxi service Cruise on Tuesday endured a public lashing from a California judge who compared the company to the devious TV character Eddie Haskell for its behavior following a ghastly collision that wrecked its ambitious expansion plans. After a vehicle driven by a human struck a San Francisco pedestrian in early October, a Cruise robotaxi named “Panini” dragged the person 20 feet (6 meters) while traveling at roughly seven miles per hour (11 kilometers per hour). He also reminded Mason that Cruise could still face other repercussions beyond California, with both the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probing the robotaxi service's conduct. But Mason indicated that he is leaning toward letting the case continue through the entire hearing process rather than approving a settlement. Tuesday's hearing came less than two weeks after Cruise released a lengthy report reviewing how the company mishandled things after the pedestrian was hurt.

Persons: Motors, Cruise, Eddie Haskell, Haskell, ”, Robert Mason III, Panini ”, Panini, specter, Mason, Jerry Mathers, ” Mason, Craig Glidden, Glidden, ” Cruise, ” Glidden, didn't, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart, Sullivan, Cruise’s, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Administrative, California Public Utilities Commission, General Motors, Cruise, U.S . Justice Department, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: California, San Francisco

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street is worried about another regional banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But while the last crisis was all about interest rate risk, this one revolves around the $20 trillion commercial real estate market. What’s happening: After decades of growth bolstered by low interest rates and easy credit, commercial real estate has hit a wall. The increase was driven partly by expected losses on commercial real estate loans, it said. “As losses from a [commercial real estate] loan portfolio accumulate, they can spill over into the broader financial system,” they wrote. “There’s some smaller and regional banks that have concentrated exposures in these areas that are challenged and we’re working with them,” he said.

Persons: It’s, Goldman Sachs, Anna Cooban, Janet Yellen, Jerome Powell, Gary Gensler, ”, Chip Somodevilla, She’s, Powell, “, ” McDonald’s, McDonald’s, Jordan Valinsky, Samantha Murphy Kelly, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, New York Community Bancorp, US Regional Bank, Japan’s Aozora Bank, Deutsche Bank, Canadian Public Pension Investment Board, Boston Properties, US Securities and Exchange, Financial, Biden, Senate, CBS, Verizon, Old Telephone Service, landlines, UK, Consumers, CNN, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: New York, Manhattan, Boston, Washington ,, East, United States, California, France, California ”

☆ Russians are freezing as Soviet-era infrastructure in the country crumbles —and Moscow keeps spending on war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Heating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing. Much of Russia's Soviet-era infrastructure needs modernizing. AdvertisementHeating systems are breaking down in Russia's harsh winter, leaving many people freezing as Moscow continues to spend on its war in Ukraine. The brutal conditions are made worse because Russia's infrastructure is poorly maintained, with many of its facilitates dating from the Soviet era, according to media reports. About 40% of the communal heating grid in the country needs to be replaced urgently, she added.

Persons: —, Svetlana Razvorotneva, Vladimir Putin, Denis Volkov, ” Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Reuters, “, Levada Center Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Siberia, Soviet, St . Petersburg, The, Russian, Nizhny Novgorod

☆ Still love your landline? Phone service providers are getting closer to phasing it out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More people who are still using telephone landlines will soon need to decide if they want to finally hang up on their service. That’s part of a sweeping move by phone service providers to replace older copper wire-based telephone systems lines, also known as Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS), with faster and more advanced technology that doesn’t work with landlines. In the United States, the shift away from copper landlines will most likely impact people over age 65 and small business owners. “Traditional landline telephone service is the most dependable communications tool currently available in rural communities and is vital to reliably accessing 9-1-1,” he said. Because phone service workers will need to be deployed during the removal process, this could extend the completion time.

Persons: CNN —, “ We’ve, “, ”, Lisa Pierce, Patrick Blacklock, ” Pierce, Will McKeon, White, ” McKeon Organizations: CNN, Verizon, Old Telephone Service, landlines, UK, Consumers, California Public Utilities Commission, Gartner, California, Federal Communications Commission, Forrester Research Locations: California, France, California ”, United States, Pennsylvania, Rural County

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe action brings the state's total of preliminarily approved offshore wind projects to three — the same level it was at before Danish wind developer Orsted scrapped its two wind farms proposed for the state's southern coast in October. (Phil) Murphy are back on our front foot in terms of offshore wind,” he said. “New Jersey’s selection of an American-led project is a tremendous step forward for the growth of the domestic offshore wind industry,” the companies said in a statement. “Today’s NJBPU award brings the reality of offshore wind off the Jersey Shore one step closer, and it will build a future where wind can power our state’s economy and help us to transition off fossil fuels,” said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. The state plans to solicit another round of wind farm proposals in the first half of this year.

Persons: Christine Guhl, Sadovy, Damian Bednarz, ”, Tim Sullivan, Phil, Murphy, Today’s, Doug O'Malley, Anjuli Ramos, William Sproule, “, ___, Wayne Parry Organizations: CITY, of Public Utilities, New, New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Gov, Jersey Shore, Environment, Jersey, New Jersey Sierra Club, Eastern Atlantic States Regional, of Carpenters Locations: N.J, New Jersey, Seaside, , New Jersey, Atlantic Shores, Chicago, New York, Long, “, American, Environment New Jersey, Jersey Shore, New

☆ Millions of Americans will soon be able to turn their roofs into a lucrative side hustle
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-07 | by ( Kartik Menon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

People on the traditional grid could see lower costs, greater grid reliability, and less volatile energy prices. And the rate of residential installation is booming: A record 700,000 homeowners installed arrays in 2022, according to the trade group Solar Energy Industries Association. Henglein and Steets/GettyAnother option for homeowners is peer-to-peer energy trading. Users buy and sell electricity with any counterparty, whether it's a neighbor or the broader electricity market. There are, of course, concerns about the reliability of solar energy.

Persons: Localvolts, Kartik Menon, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Business Insider's, Solar Energy Industries Association, Solar Investment Tax, US Department of Energy, Goldman Locations: Localvolts, editorial.standards@insider.com, California , Texas, Florida, California, Arcadia, Washington, DC, Australia, Texas

☆ GM’s Cruise Ordered by California Regulator to Testify About October Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Meghan Bobrowsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A California regulator said Cruise omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding an October incident involving a pedestrian. Photo: John G. Mabanglo/Zuma PressGeneral Motors ’ Cruise has been ordered to testify before the California Public Utilities Commission over allegedly misleading comments it gave to regulators about an incident in October in which a pedestrian was hit. The CPUC said the self-driving car firm omitted critical information about the safety of its vehicles regarding the incident. A woman was hit by a human-driven car and thrown into the path of a driverless Cruise vehicle, which collided with the pedestrian and dragged the person about 20 feet. Cruise could face a fine of up to $1.5 million, the latest blow to the company’s operations in recent months after the company lost its driverless permits in California and CEO Kyle Vogt resigned.

Persons: John G, Mabanglo, Motors ’, CPUC, Kyle Vogt Organizations: Zuma Press, Motors, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: California

The potential penalty facing GM's Cruise service could be around $1.5 million, based on documents filed late last week by the California Public Utilities Commission. Three weeks after Cruise's Oct. 2 accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles effectively shut down robotaxi service by suspending its license to operate in the state. “Cruise is committed to rebuilding trust with our regulators and will respond in a timely manner" to the Public Utilities Commission, the company said in a Monday statement. The San Francisco-based company has already hired an outside law firm to scrutinize its response to the Oct. 2 accident. The cover-up spanned 15 days, according to the PUC, exposing Cruise and GM to potential fines of $100,000 per day, or $1.5 million.

Persons: specter, Cruise, Kyle Vogt, “ Cruise, Panini, Cruise didn't Organizations: General Motors, California Public Utilities Commission, Public Utilities Commission, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Cruise, GM, PUC Locations: California, San Francisco

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s former top utility regulator surrendered Monday in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme related to a legislative bailout for two Ohio nuclear power plants that has already resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for a former state House speaker. Sam Randazzo, former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, self-surrendered at U.S. District Court in Cincinnati after being charged in an 11-count indictment that was returned on Nov. 29, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Randazzo, 74, resigned in November 2020 after FBI agents searched his Columbus townhome and FirstEnergy revealed in security filings that it had paid him $4.3 million for his future help at the commission a month before Republican Gov. Mike DeWine nominated him as Ohio’s top utility regulator. The long-awaited indictment marks the latest development in what has been labeled the largest corruption case in Ohio history.

Persons: —, Sam Randazzo, Columbus, FirstEnergy, Mike DeWine Organizations: Public Utilities Commission, Ohio, U.S, FBI, Republican Gov Locations: COLUMBUS , Ohio, Ohio, Cincinnati, U.S

Barra said at a media event an ongoing outside external safety review will guide the company's path forward and is expected to be completed in early 2024. "We'll work through the challenges we have right now at Cruise," Barra said. She declined to offer an opinion on whether she thought regulators have treated Cruise more harshly than Tesla Autopilot. She also declined to say how much money GM is willing to spend on Cruise going forward until it completes its assessments and has a plan to move ahead. Reporting by Joseph White and David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mary Barra, Barra, Cruise, Joseph White, David Shepardson, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates Organizations: General Motors, DETROIT, Detroit, California Public Utilities Commission, Thomson Locations: Cruise, United States, California

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