Climate Roundup: Air Board Adopts Rules to Extend Cap & Trade Program

CA Current

• The Buzz April 16, 2021
  State energy regulators pull a fast one and decide not to vote on a safety certification for Pacific Gas & Electric that its Wildfire Safety Division granted. Local power and ratepayer advocates, who have urged the California Public Commission to not certify PG&E, are livid. The commission instead votes to step up its oversight of […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CPUC Increases Oversight of PG&E, Pulls Vote on Utility Safety Certification April 16, 2021
  Advocates for ratepayers and for local power, together with members of the public were incensed when state energy regulators at the last minute cancelled a vote on a fire safety certification for Pacific Gas & Electric. Annual certifications, required by AB 1054, are a condition of utilities recovering from ratepayers their wildfire costs. PG&E, which […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• SDG&E Gets Okay to Cover Its $43 Million EV Program Costs April 16, 2021
  The California Public Utilities Commission approved San Diego Gas & Electric collecting $43.5 million from ratepayers to recover the costs of building electric charging stations at low-income apartments and dwellings, and at workplaces. The April 15 unanimous vote was in spite of the fact that SDG&E overspent by $25 million during the pilot on which […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Federal Regulators Take Steps to Lower Utility Incentives, Integrate State Carbon Pricing April 16, 2021
  Members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission agree on the need for better transmission efficiency and a build out of high voltage lines. But the five commissioners strongly disagree on incentives for utilities that participate in independent and regional transmission organizations, which are responsible for grid modernizations. To protect ratepayers, FERC proposed April 15 on […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CEC Okays Big Green Energy Grants, More Diesel Backup Looms April 15, 2021
  The California Energy Commission has approved $73 million in grants for clean energy projects, ranging from advanced communications within batteries for fast electric vehicle charging, flexible demand response, to green microgrids. The five commissioners also moved closer April 14 to voting on two more big diesel backup generator projects at data centers. The decisive vote […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• JUICE: Vehicle-to-Grid and Home So Close and Yet So Far April 14, 2021
  Hundreds of billions of dollars of public money may soon infuse the electric vehicle market. President Joe Biden plans to invest $174 billion over 10 years, and Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes spending $1.5 billion in his 2021-22 state budget. In addition, the California Energy Commission detailed April 13 a $50 million project to accelerate the […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Bills Expanding Clean and not so Clean Electricity & Transportation Resources, Advance April 14, 2021
  Here’s the latest update on how 2021 climate and energy-related proposed legislation is faring: The Senate Energy Utilities & Communication Committee approved a bill to speed the integration of offshore wind and long duration storage, among other emerging clean energy resources, onto the grid and into resource planning. The committee also advanced bills to expand […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• California Prepares for Worsening Wildfires April 13, 2021
  Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law April 13 a legislative package providing $536 million in emergency funding for wildfire prevention and response. “California is taking bold, early action to protect our high-risk communities from the upcoming wildfire season before it starts,” Newsom said. Proceeds from the state’s Carbon Cap-and-Trade program and its General Fund provided […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• The Buzz April 9, 2021
  A week after a national report found that the City of Los Angeles could be powered fully by renewables by 2035, the City Council gives SoCalGas’ Playa del Rey underground gas storage field the thumbs down. It’s a gesture welcome by clean energy advocates but holds little clout. Environmentalists call on the city council to […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• News Roundup: LA City Council Pressures SoCalGas to Close Playa del Rey Field April 9, 2021
  The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously April 7 to close the Playa del Rey underground natural gas storage facility owned by Southern California Gas. The Playa del Rey field is smaller but considered riskier than the Aliso Canyon gas storage field. The Playa facility, which is near the LA International Airport, is located in […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy