The California Energy Commission officially accepted Southern California Edison’s withdrawal of its confidentiality appeal. Edison has been quarreling with regulators over how much information on its power purchases should be publicly available--the commission wants more; Edison far less. Edison sought to prevent the Energy Commission from publicly disclosing what it said is market-sensitive information, including forecasts of its supply, demand, retail electricity prices, in the 2007 Integrated Energy Policy Report. Utility staff had been scheduled to present pre-filed testimony and conduct cross examination on the matter during a special Energy Commission meeting on July 11, but the utility officially withdrew its appeal in a June 28 letter. “It would appear that wiser heads have prevailed at Southern California Edison,” said Commissioner John Geesman. Also during the July 11 meeting, which lasted all of 12 minutes, the Energy Commission approved the adoption of revisions to the guidebook for the New Solar Homes Partnership, a ten-year, $3.3 billion program to put solar on a million roofs in the state. The changes pertain to redefining energy requirements, clarifying the definition of new housing, and other particulars. The guidebook, which is the Energy Commission’s part of the California Solar Initiative, provides information and instructions on how to apply for financial incentives for solar systems on new residential dwelling units.
