Public Utilities Fret About Plan

Publicly owned utilities are worried that the California Public Utilities Commission’s long-term energy efficiency plan--designed for investor-owned utilities--could become the template the California Air Resources Board uses to set energy efficiency requirements for munis. In its draft plan for carrying out the state’s climate protection law, AB 32, the Air Board outlined an expected 26.4 million tons a year of carbon dioxide emissions reductions from energy efficiency. That’s about 16 percent of the 169 million tons a year of emissions reductions sought under the plan by 2020. However, the Air Board plan is sketchy on energy efficiency details. What it is clear about is that public utilities would be covered. Munis provide power to about 30 percent of the state, thus are considered integral to cutting greenhouse gases. Concern that the CPUC’s plan could be rolled into the greenhouse gas reduction plan led the California Municipal Utilities Association to tell the commission it “cannot support proposals to apply a CPUC-derived work product to entities not subject to the commission’s jurisdiction.” The association said that the state should devise energy efficiency goals through a “neutral and independent” forum composed of a diverse group of stakeholders that includes public utilities, investor-owned utilities, government agencies, and public interest groups. However, that would take more time than the CPUC is planning. The commission aims to adopt a final long-term energy efficiency plan before the year is out. The Air Board plans to adopt a final greenhouse gas reduction plan by that time too.

Over 11K Stories!

| Independently Powered Energy News

Public Utilities Fret About Plan

vdharadmin

Related Posts

California Public Utilities Commission Okays Local Supply Reserves

State Carbon Emissions Reduction Plan Update Faces Big Pushback

Bills Pass that Move the Needle on Non Fossil Energy Pass

Regulators Confirm Utilities Short on Renewables Requirement