Dive Summary:
- The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) is considering a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, in which a local government body would determine what type of energy to purchase and where to purchase it from; the EBMUD covers Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, El Cerrito and, potentially, other cities in the area.
- Last week, the Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to prioritize local renewable sources of energy and deprioritize fossil fuel and nuclear sources for the CCA.
- Pacific Gas & Electric, which services the area, did not comment on these most recent developments; the utility spent $46 million in 2010 to promote a failed proposition that would have made it significantly more difficult to pass a CCA.
From the article:
"... It's a chance to eliminate coal, nuclear power and 'big hydro,' and create local jobs at the same time, according to Tom Kelly, co-chair of the Community Choice Energy Working Group, part of a coalition supporting Berkeley efforts to implement the city's Climate Action Plan to reduce emission of greenhouse gases.
Berkeley's energy commission and various environmental organizations have been looking at creating a CCA since the state approved the framework in 2002. That legislation leaves the transmission of electrical power and administrative functions such as billing to existing utilities. Last year, new legislation, SB 790, opened the possibility for water agencies such as the East Bay Municipal Utility District to participate in CCAs. ..."