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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – March 27, 2020

Due to the COVID-19 disruption, the legislature has gone into recess until April 13 at the earliest. While the legislature is on recess, The Climate Center continues to analyze the bills that were introduced in February, and is in the process of determining positions on many of them. Below are several, but not all, of … Read more

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Introducing: Davis Harper, New Stockton Community Organizer

Advancing Community Choice Energy one conversation at a time My name is Davis Harper, and I am a writer, organizer, and advocate for the sustainable practices necessary to protect the planet’s most vulnerable communities. I’m very excited to be the newest member of The Climate Center team as the Community Outreach Specialist for Stockton and … Read more

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Legislative Update for March 12, 2020

Below are several selected upcoming committee hearings and several, but not all, of the key bills we are tracking. For a complete list of the 44 bills we are currently tracking in 2020, click HERE. Please send updates, suggestions, corrections to info[at]cleanpowerexchange.org. Our next update will be published here on March 26. SPECIAL NOTE: Due … Read more

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Woody Hastings named Sonoma County Environmentalist of the Year

Woody Hastings and his wife June Brashares accepting the Ernestine Smith Environmentalist of the Year award and the Pat and Ted Elliot posthumous Lifetime Environmental Achievement

by Barry Vesser and Laurie-Ann Barbour On a wet December evening about 100 environmental activists assembled by Sonoma County Conservation Council & Sierra Club Sonoma Group to honor the environmentalist of the year – Woody Hastings, the Energy Program Manager at The Climate Center. Woody was honored for his work on the initiative to start Sonoma … Read more

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In an extraordinary day, the Center shared a vision for safe, reliable, resilient, and carbon-free power

Clean Power Alliance Executive Director Ted Bardacke talks with LA Times reporter Sammy Roth about the latest in Community Choice developments at The Climate Center's annual Business of Local Energy Symposium.

In late June, 325 Community Choice operators and advocates, clean energy businesses, and elected officials from around the state converged on the Business of Local Energy Symposium hosted by The Climate Center (CCP) and our partners in Southern California to discuss best practices and what leadership in a dynamic environment of local clean energy means. … Read more

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Taking a spin on an electric tractor

With a view of the future? This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit the ranch of Steve Heckeroth, architect, legendary clean energy pioneer, inventor, former contributing editor for Mother Earth News, and in this instance, creator of the Solectrac electric drive tractor. Steve’s ranch, and e-tractor manufacturing operation, is located along the Mendocino Coast … Read more

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PG&E Bankruptcy – what does it mean for customers, the climate, and communities?

On Tuesday, January 29, PG&E filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy law. The broad outline of the story, as most The Climate Center e-news readers are probably aware, is that as a result of utility equipment being pinpointed as a cause of many of the wildfires over the past two years, PG&Es’ liabilities outstrip … Read more

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Exit fee: Hot topic at 3rd annual Community Choice Association meeting

Read on to see how you can help Last week I attended the 3rd annual meeting of the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA). With nineteen operational agencies now serving California, well over 200 people were in attendance. There were two major themes this year: The first was the rapid acceleration of Community Choice Energy in … Read more

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CPUC releases proposed decision on Community Choice exit fees

On August 1st the California Public Utilities Commission issued the long-awaited Proposed Decision* on the “exit fees” that Community Choice customers are charged for power that was purchased by private utilities on their behalf before they left (exited) to become Community Choice agency (CCA) customers. This is a pass-through charge because these fees are charged … Read more

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Power change by changing power

Karen Barnes handles Development for The Climate Center. This summer we continue to work on our newest project, to bring Community Choice Energy to California’s Central Valley. All regions in our state should have access to clean power. Climate and environmental impacts are magnified and debilitating for disenfranchised communities that are disproportionately impacted by higher … Read more