CA Current

Energy-related legislation continued to move ahead in the state Senate April 23, with two measures clearing the Natural Resources & Water Committee. SB 247 by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) won approval by the panel on a 9-0 vote. Dodd’s measure would put CalFire in charge of auditing compliance with California Public Utilities Commission vegetation management […]

Southern California Edison asked the California Public Utilities Commission April 22 to grant it a rate boost that would increase the average residential power bill by $12.20 cents a month to help cover wildfire risk. The move comes after the company posted losses at the end of last year in the face of wildfire liability […]

East Bay Community Energy April 23 launched a new grant program that will provide up to $40,000 to applicants for energy-related projects that deliver local benefits to targeted communities in areas such as job creation, workforce development, economic empowerment, and climate and social resilience. Eligible projects will include community-shared solar, energy conservation retrofits, workforce development […]

An Assembly committee April 22 approved two key pieces of legislation, including a bill to establish a state-run backstop power procurement program and another to order state energy officials to investigate recent or future natural gas price spikes. The Assembly Natural Resources Committee passed AB 56 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) on a 6-2 vote. […]

Natural gas will remain plentiful and reasonably priced in California through 2030, according to an analysis presented to the California Energy Commission April 22. Ample natural gas supplies from both Western Canada and the Permian Basin in Texas—which are connected to California by interstate pipelines—will keep prices lower in the Golden State than at Henry […]

A group of West Coast utilities launches a major study of how to develop and locate charging infrastructure for electric big rig trucks. Federal energy regulators approve two LNG export projects, but the decisions omit their greenhouse gas impacts. Subsequently, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s 2018 market report shows record U.S natural gas exports, while […]

A study on electrifying the 1,350 mile route from Mexico to Canada for medium- and heavy-duty trucks is being launched by a coalition of nearly three dozen West Coast private and public utilities and organizations. The study by this West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative, announced April 18, is to evaluate how, where and the […]

Two major liquefied natural gas facilities export projects in Texas and Louisiana were approved 3-1 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, although the decisions omit evaluations of their direct and cumulative greenhouse gas impacts. Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur, who cast the decisive yes vote at the April 18 meeting, welcomed the projects and the decisions including […]

The U.S. Trustee asked the court handling Pacific Gas & Electric’s bankruptcy proceeding to not allow the unsecured creditors’ committee to hire an investment banker because of potential conflicts of interest. In an April 15 filing, the U.S. Trustee warned the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California that Centerview Partners hides whether […]

The new chief executive officer of bankrupt Pacific Gas & Electric will receive $9 million his first year on the job at the troubled company. According to PG&E’s April 16 Securities & Exchange Commission filing, the base salary of Bill Johnson, former head of the Tennessee Valley Authority, is $2.5 million. He also is to […]

The New Green Deal, a 14-page national resolution to clean up the environment and simultaneously address social inequity by creating new job opportunities and strengthening the social safety net, lacks the force of law. But, it is a powerful, timely idea and symbol that’s causing lots of people to cheer or chastise it. Its potency […]

Pacific Gas & Electric was one of three companies fined by federal energy regulators for violating cyber security protection rules, according to the Wall Street Journal. PG&E along with DTE Energy was sanctioned. David Ortiz, deputy director of FERC’s Office of Electric Reliability, told the Journal that although there are many cyberattacks, utilities rarely report […]

In spite of ongoing safety issues and problems at Pacific Gas & Electric, the company lacks a “comprehensive safety strategy,” the California Public Utilities Commission was told April 15. PG&E does not have “a coordinated safety strategy that takes a look at the whole,” said Angela Anderson, project manager for Northstar Consulting. The company has […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom April 12 called on lawmakers to pass a legislative reform package to deal with the growing threat of wildfires, calling measures adopted to date “inadequate.” “We all have a burden and responsibility to meet the costs,” said Newsom. “We’re all in this together.” In a long and at times rambling press conference, […]

Southern California Edison asks the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a 28 percent boost in its revenue requirement for transmission assets, saying that wildfire-related expenses justify the increase. In Sacramento, a bill to set up a centralized backstop power purchaser clears a committee, but lawmakers have reservations about changing the existing order. Another bill to […]

Southern California Edison asked federal energy regulators April 11 for more than a 50 percent increase on its return on equity to help ameliorate the cost of its “extraordinary” wildfire liability. Edison seeks to raise its revenue requirement on federally regulated transmission lines from $1.038 billion to $1.328 billion annually, a 28 percent increase. That […]

The Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee approved several measures aimed at providing more public information on energy prices April 10. Bills approved by the panel included: AB 1799 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), to require the California Energy Commission to form a task force to delve into recent natural gas price volatility, which boosted the […]

The House Energy & Commerce Committee during an April 10 hearing discussed eight bills aimed at advancing energy efficiency in buildings and helping blue collar workers transition to green collar jobs. “Efficiency work supports thousands of good-paying jobs at small businesses in every state,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), who chairs the committee. “The eight […]

The Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee April 10 backed legislation to establish a central authority to serve as the state’s chief backstop power purchasing agent, but only after watering it down because of stiff opposition. Before this week’s hearing, Southern California Edison, publicly owned utilities, community choice aggregators, and some environmental groups, opposed the measure […]

Legislation to promote distributed generation and battery storage with more favorable tariffs and grid interconnection process streamlining advanced through the Senate Energy, Utilities, & Communications Committee April 10. It was approved despite opposition from public and investor-owned utilities. The panel also approved two bills aimed at minimizing wildfire risk from power lines. SB 288 cleared […]