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SAN FRANCISCO – PG&E Corp. on Tuesday announced that Anthony F. Earley, Jr., 62, will become the company’s new chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.
Earley’s appointment – the first in PG&E’s history to come from outside the organization – puts the company under the leadership of one of the nation’s most experienced energy executives.
As head of Michigan-based DTE Energy for more than a decade, Earley built the company’s core businesses – Detroit Edison and Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. – into two of the most highly respected electric and natural gas operating companies, with strong performance on many of the industry’s key safety and reliability measures.
“Tony is a highly respected and proven CEO who will provide fresh eyes and strong leadership as we focus on public safety and operations excellence,” said Lee Cox, interim chairman, chief executive officer, and president. “We looked across the industry and found the person best qualified to help us win back public confidence.”
Earley joined Detroit Edison in 1994 as president and chief operating officer. He became CEO of DTE Energy in 1998 and served in that role through 2010. Most recently, he has been DTE’s executive chairman. DTE Energy is one of the nation’s largest diversified energy companies.
“PG&E has a proud legacy,” said Earley. “It’s a great privilege to help an iconic company recover from its recent challenges and reclaim its standing as the utility others admire and aspire to follow.”
Earley has received accolades for his crisis leadership. In 2003, the largest blackout in U.S. history began at a utility in Ohio and triggered outages in Michigan and six other states. Public officials and customers praised Earley’s response to the emergency.
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm called him a "calming influence" and exactly the person she would want to lead during a crisis.
“Tony Earley proved that he was a leader we could rely on to be open, honest and accountable at a very difficult time,” said Granholm. “He stepped up publicly. He made sure we knew what was happening, what we could expect and when we could expect it. And he made sure DTE came through and delivered on what it promised.”
In addition to his success establishing DTE as an operational leader, Earley has also been instrumental in forging industry consensus on national energy policy challenges.
During his recent tenure as chairman of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the association of investor-owned utilities, he helped the group work constructively in Washington on issues ranging from climate change to energy efficiency and support for electric vehicles.
“Tony pulled the industry together to develop a common proactive position supporting a reasonable and affordable approach to climate change enabling us to be a constructive force in the discussions. He is highly respected across our industry,” said Tom Kuhn, president and CEO of EEI.
Earley also has served as Chair of the Nuclear Energy
Institute.
“The PG&E Board has asked Tony to continue the significant leadership role PG&E has played on climate change issues,” said Cox. “Tony understands and admires California’s unique role in leading the country on environmental issues, and he is eager to become involved here.”
Locally, Earley has dedicated significant time and energy to supporting civic and community initiatives, with a particular focus on driving economic revitalization in Detroit and the surrounding region. He is currently a board member of Business Leaders for Michigan, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and Cornerstone Schools.
“Tony Earley is passionate about investing in the community,” said Detroit Mayor David Bing. “He knows that for business to thrive, the community has to thrive – and he leads by example to make that happen.”
Earley began his utility industry career in 1985 at Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO). From 1989 through 1994 he was LILCO’s president and chief operating officer.
Earlier in his career he worked as an attorney and also served as an officer in the United States Navy nuclear submarine program where he was qualified as a Chief Engineer officer.
Earley holds an undergraduate degree in physics and graduate degrees in engineering and law, all from the University of Notre Dame. In addition to his civic leadership activities, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Co., MASCO Corp. and the Nuclear Energy Institute.
He is chairman of the board of Henry Ford Health Systems and serves on the advisory board for the College of Engineering for the University of Notre Dame.
Earley’s appointment is effective Sept. 13.
Interim Chairman, CEO, and President Lee Cox will continue in that role until then and then will resume his role as lead director.
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The following places on Clear Lake have gas available by boat.
Lakeport – The Pitstop Marina, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily, telephone 707-262-0931; and Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina, 8 a.m. to sundown, daily, telephone 707-262-1900.
Glenhaven – Glenhaven Beach Resort, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., daily, telephone 707-998-3406.
Kelseyville – Braito’s Marina, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, telephone 707-279-4868; and Richmond Park, 10 a.m. -Kelseyville 10am-9pm 7 days (277-7240). We hope this information is useful to boaters on Clear Lake.
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The board also directed staff to obtain an opinion from the attorney general related to how the referendum process may affect the effectiveness of ABx1 28.
The changes made by ABx1 28 expand the use tax registration requirements to apply explicitly to some out-of-state retailers that previously have not collected use tax on sales to California customers.
Transactions subject to use tax are generally conducted either through mail order, telephone orders or via the Internet.
ABx1 28 provides that large out-of-state retailers that pay in-state affiliates commissions for sales completed after clicking through a link on the affiliate’s Web site must collect California use tax.
This measure also makes it clear that out-of-state retailers must start collecting tax if they receive the benefit of services in California through certain related companies that enable the retailers to establish and maintain a market for selling tangible personal property in California.
The board will be identifying further examples through its public process.
ABx1 28 was signed into law by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. on June 28, 2011. The board will now initiate a public process to consider amending Sales and Use Tax Regulation 1684, Collection of California Use Tax by Retailers.
The first interested parties meeting will be likely be held some time in October, following the development of an initial discussion paper.
“Now that the Legislature and the governor have enacted e-fairness to protect California’s economy, we have a constitutional responsibility to implement this new law fully and expeditiously until a court or the Attorney General authoritatively opines otherwise,” said First District BOE Member Betty T. Yee said.
The public meeting process offers interested parties the opportunity to provide input regarding formulation or amendment of rules and regulations administered by the board.
Interested parties may subscribe to receive notices and agendas for proposed rules and regulations announcements by signing up for email notifications at www.boe.ca.gov/meetings/boardcomm.htm.
California and non-California retailers with questions regarding their registration requirements or California nexus are encouraged to contact the Board of Equalization’s Out-of-State Field Office in Sacramento at 916-227-6600.
The five-member California State Board of Equalization is a publicly elected tax board. The BOE collects more than $48 billion annually in taxes and fees supporting state and local government services. It hears business tax appeals, acts as the appellate body for franchise and personal income tax appeals, and serves a significant role in the assessment and administration of property taxes.
For more information on other taxes and fees in California, visit www.taxes.ca.gov.
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The taxes expired last month after Congress failed to pass a funding extension for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but some airlines have continued to include the cost of the tax in their ticket prices.
“The bottom line is consumers are being taken advantage of by some of the airlines,” said Thompson. “Air carriers are including the cost of an expired tax in their ticket prices, rather than passing the savings on to consumers. Airlines shouldn’t be increasing their prices and their profits at the expense of everyday Americans.”
Rep. Thompson also expressed concern about passengers who already paid federal taxes for travel during the FAA shutdown, or were forced to pay more for their base airfare after the shutdown began. The Internal Revenue Service has requested airlines’ assistance in facilitating these refunds, but so far they have declined to do so.
“Passengers are entitled to a refund for the federal taxes paid when they purchased their ticket,” Rep. Thompson continued. “In these extraordinary times when so many Americans are out of work or simply trying to make ends meet, airlines should not be using the FAA shutdown as an excuse to pad their pockets.”
On July 29, Rep. Thompson circulated a copy of his letter on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. In less than an hour, he secured over 86 signatures from his colleagues. The letter has 91 total co-signers. The full text of the letter, which is addressed to Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Air Lines and Chair of the Air Transport Association, is available below:
“Like you, we are discouraged that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been shut down. As a result of this shut down, vital aviation improvements are being put off, thousands of FAA employees have been furloughed, and the Aviation Trust Fund, the fund needed to maintain our aviation system, has effectively been shuttered.
“Given these dramatic turn of events, we are dismayed by public reports that some airlines are taking advantage of everyday Americans. Specifically, we understand that some airlines are continuing to charge passengers for the cost of federal aviation taxes on their tickets even though these taxes have expired, and keeping the money for themselves.
“Consumers quite frankly are being taken advantage of by these airlines. Instead of taking advantage of the FAA shut down, airlines should be passing these immediate savings on to the consumers now. However, it appears that most airlines have taken the alternative route by increasing prices and their profits at the expense of everyday Americans.
“In addition, we are concerned about those consumers who purchased their tickets and paid the applicable excise taxes prior to the FAA shut down. These passengers, who are traveling during this shut down, are entitled to a refund for these federal taxes paid when they purchased their ticket. The Internal Revenue Service has requested airlines assistance in facilitating these refunds. Airlines are best suited to do so because they already have the purchaser information and can streamline refunds. However, so far airlines have declined to do so.
“Therefore, we urge the Air Transport Association (ATA) and all of your member airlines to charge the same price for airfare that you did immediately before the FAA shutdown. In addition, for those passengers who already paid federal excise taxes for travel scheduled during the FAA shutdown or who were forced to pay more for their base airfare because of their profiteering tactics after the FAA shutdown took effect, they should immediately be given a refund of those cost overruns.
“In these extraordinary times when so many Americans are out of work or simply trying to make ends meet, airlines should not be taking advantage of things like an FAA shutdown to increase their profits. We look forward to hearing from the ATA regarding this important issue.”
Thompson represents California’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and portions of Sonoma and Yolo counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.