March 28, 2017

Our mission Honorable Ben Hueso, To inspire, align, and mobilize action Chair, Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee in response to the climate crisis. We work with business, government, State Capitol, Room 4035 youth and the broader community to Sacramento, CA 95814 advance practical, science-based solutions for significant greenhouse gas emission reductions. RE: Senate Bill 618: OPPOSE

Board of Directors Jane Bender, President Dear Senator Hueso and Committee Members, Martha Kowalick, Secretary Jim McGreen, Treasurer On behalf of the Center for Climate Protection, we are writing to Efren Carrillo Tim Holmes respectfully urge you to reject SB 618. Carl Mears Larry Robinson Susan Thomas SB 618 would require Community Choice Agencies (CCAs) to submit their Ann Hancock, Executive Director Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval. Under existing law all that is required is Strategic Advisors Peter Barnes, Co-founder, that the CPUC certify CCA IRPs to ensure that they are in compliance with Working Assets state laws (Renewable Portfolio Standard, Resource Adequacy, etc.) that Dave Brennan, Former apply to all load serving entities (LSEs) in California. Sebastopol City Manager Jeff Byron, Former CA Energy Commissioner Given that 2017 is the first year that CCAs are required to submit IRPs to Ernie Carpenter, Former Sonoma County Supervisor the CPUC pursuant to SB 350, which became law on January 1, 2016, it is Kimberly Clement, Attorney premature to enact new regulatory layers and to burden the CPUC when Connie Codding, Developer the initial law has not yet been tested. If problems emerge later, perhaps Joe Como, Former Director, CA Office of Ratepayer Advocates changes will need to be made, but this bill as it stands is a fix for Andy Ferguson, Communications something that is not broken. CPUC certification of CCA IRPs is the John Garn, Business Consultant appropriate protocol and should remain unchanged unless a need Elizabeth C. Herron, PhD, Writer Hunter Lovins, President emerges. Natural Capitalism Solutions Alan Strachan, Developer Herb Williams, Government Relations One of the hallmarks of CCA law, in the California Public Utilities Code Shirlee Zane, Sonoma Co. Supervisor since 2002 and in successful practice since 2010, is that it grants decision- making authority about a host of energy service elements such as energy Science & Technical Advisors Fred Euphrat, Ph.D. sources, rates, programs, policy, projects, and more to the not-for-profit, Dorothy Freidel, Ph.D. local CCA. Removing that local authority and delivering it to the distant (in Edward C. Myers, M.S.Ch.E. most cases) CPUC is a huge step backward in the emerging advance Edwin Orrett, P.E. John Rosenblum, Ph.D. toward localized energy democracy represented by CCAs. Zeno Swijtink, Ph.D. Alexandra von Meier, Ph.D. Mathis Wackernagel, Ph.D. SB 618 is unnecessary and would erode the fundamental principle of Ken Wells, E.I.T. Community Choice, as established in the original AB 117 law, namely, Ai-Chu Wu, Ph.D. local control, accountability, and an innovative means of achieving state

Contact policy goals on energy, climate, and community benefits. www.climateprotection.org P.O. Box 3785, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 To date, CCAs have demonstrated that they can serve their customers 707–525-1665 with cleaner power mixes at lower rates than the incumbent utility. In the case of Sonoma Clean Power, the CCA that the Center for Climate

Protection helped initiate and advance, those lower rates have paid for a power mix that is 48% lower in greenhouse gases than the incumbent utility, as confirmed by a third party audit.

SB 618 strikes at the heart of Community Choice authority in that it effectively grants CPUC veto power over Community Choice innovation. It would also would set a bad precedent for future legislative and regulatory impediments of Community Choice agency effectiveness. Finally, it would add to the already overly-full set of responsibilities with which the CPUC is charged.

We respectfully urge a “no” vote on SB618.

Sincerely,

Ann Hancock, Executive Director Woody Hastings, Renewable Energy Manager cc: Senator Mike Morrell (Vice Chair) Senator Steven Bradford Senator Anthony Cannella Senator Robert M. Hertzberg Senator Jerry Hill Senator Mike McGuire Senator Nancy Skinner Senator Henry I. Stern Senator Andy Vidak Senator Scott D. Wiener

Committee Staff: Jay Dickenson Nidia Bautista Melanie Cain

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