CA Current

Before the start of the fireworks, Pacific Gas & Electric announced it funded most of the $6.75 billion cash payment to fire victims. It also lined up another $12 billion to pay insurance claims as well as cities impacted by utility-sparked fires that burned from 2015-2018. Hydrogen fuel to lower transportation emissions, California’s biggest source […]

California air regulators take initial steps on cap-and-trade program revisions to double greenhouse gas cuts in the decade ahead. The same day, a report is released that pushes land management changes to slash greenhouse gases in California. That includes improved forestry and woodlands management, slower conversion of natural lands and greener agriculture. At the nation’s […]

Tin ears are prevalent this week. During the U.S. EPA’s public “listening session” in San Francisco mid-week on the agency’s plan to revoke the Clean Power Plan, Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board head, questions agency officials’ hearing ability. The decibels in the room increase with the long line of speakers blasting the proposed repeal […]

Gov. Jerry Brown highlighted the state’s leadership on climate change in his final State of the State Address to a joint session of the Legislature Jan. 25. He promised he would soon unveil a carbon cap-and-trade program expenditure plan that helps all California communities. “The science of climate change is not in doubt,” said the […]

State utility regulators okayed a shift in the peak pricing period to later in the day for San Diego Gas & Electric customers. Industry advocates warn it erodes the economic advantages of rooftop solar. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry gets an education about how the grid operates. A Department of Energy staff report he requested […]

Pacific Gas & Electric fails to garner an extra $1.5 billion for decommissioning its Diablo Canyon nuclear reactor, as the CPUC stands by an administrative law judge’s decision. FERC moves a bit closer to a quorum as a Senate panel holds a hearing on President Trump’s nominees. In a report that’s, well, quite predictable, CARB […]

The Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field leak emitted 109,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere from late October 2015 to mid-February 2016, according to the final estimate released Sept. 24 by the California Air Resources Board. That’s roughly equivalent to the annual natural gas usage of 190,000 Los Angeles homes, or the carbon dioxide […]

Nov. 1: California Public Utilities Commission workshop on regionalization to hear from stakeholders and members of the public re: options for locating additional facilities in areas of California, such as Sacramento, which would allow the CPUC to collaborate with other agencies. More information and agenda.   Time: 9:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. Place: CPUC Auditorium, […]

Oct. 24: A workshop will be held to receive public comments on the California Energy Commission’s Draft 2016 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR) Update. More information. Draft 2016 IEPR Update (320-page PDF). (more…)

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy use were the lowest in the first six months of this year than they have been since 1991, according to an Energy Information Administration tally released Oct. 12. (more…)

Oct. 17: The California Energy Commission and the governor’s office will host a workshop on considerations for the development of a governance structure for a regional grid operator. Discussions involve modifications to the California Independent System Operator’s governance that would be needed to facilitate the transition to a regional organization. More information. (more…)

Editor’s Note: Since returning to California in 1988, Bill Kelly has frequently visited Bell and other communities in Southeast Los Angeles County in various professional capacities, including as the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s spokesperson for 12 years. The city of Bell is surrounded by polluting industries unlike where he lives and raised his […]

  Oct. 10: California Energy Commission public meeting to present proposed regulations and seek comments from interested parties regarding proposed efficiency standards for computers, computer monitors and signage displays. More information. (more…)

Automakers expressed reservations before a House subcommittee Sept. 22 about the prospects for meeting greenhouse gas emission targets under federal and California standards, which ramp up in 2022. (more…)

Sept. 26: Energy Commission staff will conduct a workshop regarding energy data collection to support the implementation of SB 350, AB 802 and improved energy analytics. More information. Time: 10 a.m. Place: California Energy Commission, First Floor, Arthur Rosenfeld Hearing Room, 1516 Ninth St., Sacramento. (more…)

Panoche Energy Center told the California Air Resources Board this week that it will face $108 million in stranded liability over the next 12 years if the agency goes forward and adopts amendments as drafted to the state’s carbon cap-and-trade program. (more…)

Sept. 21: 14th Annual GO 156 Supplier Diversity En Banc. CEOs and presidents of California’s investor-owned utilities will discuss their supplier diversity programs and activities aimed at encouraging inclusion of diverse suppliers in contract opportunities. Agenda. Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Place: South San Francisco Conference Center, 255 South Airport Blvd., South San Francisco. […]

Under a hot sun, Gov. Jerry Brown signed two intertwined bills Sept. 8 that require further reductions in the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and direct more resources to curbing climate change’s impacts in struggling communities subjected to air pollution from heavy industries and freeways. (more…)

The California Independent System Operator continued to struggle with how to account for greenhouse gas emissions in a regionalized grid during a stakeholder meeting Sept. 6. (more…)

Sept. 13: The CEC will conduct a workshop on SB 350, which addresses the barriers faced by low-income and disadvantaged communities to investing in energy efficiency and weatherization, as well as potential solutions to address the barriers. More information. (more…)