On November 9th, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) held a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Renewable Energy in San Rafael. The purpose of the hearing was to gather testimony on the status and obstacles of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). CCA allows communities to procure greener electricity than is offered by private utilities such as PG&E. Renata Brillinger of the Climate Protection Campaign gave testimony at the hearing. From her report:
Senate Hearing on Community Choice Aggregation
On November 9th, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) held a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Renewable Energy in San Rafael, CA. The purpose of the hearing was to gather testimony on the status of Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) efforts, and obstacles to implementation. CCA allows Californian communities to establish a public power alternative to private utilities such as PG&E, and choose their electric provider and source of electricity.
The majority of the hearing focused on the barriers presented by PG&E, and the need for both legislative and regulatory remedies. The first panel of testimony included presentations by the three communities that have set up a CCA or are in the process — Marin, San Francisco and San Joaquin. Also speaking on this panel was Renata Brillinger representing the Climate Protection Campaign. The second panel included representatives from elected office in Marin and San Francisco, as well as the Executive Director, California Public Utilities Commission.
The testimony made it clear that PG&E’s opposition to CCA is the major barrier for communities interested in using a CCA program to obtain more renewable energy, build community-owned renewable resources, create local green jobs and stimulate the local economy. Presenters described many varied examples of PG&E’s obstructionism, and recommended several tangible remedies that the legislature or the California Public Utilities Commission could employ to accelerate CCAs in California.
View the videotaped testimony: http://cmcm.tv/node/591.
