Pacific Sun: County Energized for Choice
Peter Seidman, Environment Reporter at the Pacific Sun, wrote this very balanced article on Marin Clean Energy in May of 2008. He points out that our current Investor Owned Utility (IOU), PG&E, has begun an "adversarial" campaign to prevent MCE's establishment by vote of Marin's City Councils and County Board of Supervisors. Below are two salient quotes from the article. Click here to read the whole story.
"A peer review of the business plan for a renewable-energy power authority in Marin gave the proposal a green
light to proceed to the next leg on the road to possible reality. The proposal now is making the rounds of city
councils across the county, as backers look for support while critics already are using emotional attacks to flip
the switch on the plan.
Marin Clean Energy, the name of the proposed power authority, needs at least two of the county's largest
entities (Novato, San Rafael and the county itself) to become members in order to make the nascent agency
viable. Participation of the Marin Municipal Water District—the single largest power customer in the county—
would be a big boost.
Marin Clean Energy would be one of the state's first authorities to form under a law that took effect in 2002,
in large part as the result of the energy meltdown of 2000 and 2001. AB117, sponsored by then
Assemblywoman and current state Senator Carole Migden, cleared the legal way for cities and counties across
the state to become "community choice aggregators." The CCA program gives the cities and counties the
authority to purchase electricity and resell it to customers within their jurisdictions. These power authorities
would be allowed to purchase energy from whatever source they choose at whatever price they can get. As the
Marin Clean Energy business plan states, "Unlike traditional utility service, the source of the electric supply
[generation] and the price paid by customers for the generation services procured by the CCA program would
be determined by the CCA."
"Right now, there's no choice [with PG&E]," says (Paul) Fenn. "This is the government [through AB117] offering
you a second choice. There's not even an opt-out option for PG&E today. The county is trying to offer another
option that could be far greener. It's not some kind of new captivity." And it would put into practice the
ostensible goals of many Marin residents who claim that they believe fighting global warming is a worthwhile
endeavor.
Fenn also has something to say about critics who assert a CCA future is just too uncertain. CCA programs
already are running successfully in Massachusetts (where Fenn worked to create community choice) and Ohio.
Fenn says CCA activity is kicking up in Texas. When asked whether any CCA has exhibited a significant
downside, Fenn says, "Let's put it this way: No CCA has ever disbanded."'
