Currents

An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

Humboldt And Ventura Regional Energy Authority Projects

Pilot projects in Humboldt and Ventura counties are on track to establish their energy offices in early 2003. Working groups in both counties are exploring the available legal structures in an effort to decide what will work best for their communities. With funding from the California Public Utilities Commission’s public goods charge program, and under a contract with PG&E, the Local Government Commission (LGC) is assisting the two communities in their efforts.

LGC’s interest in local energy programs stems from its beginnings when it was the Solar Cal Local Government Commission on Conservation and Renewable Energy. In 1983 LGC supported the enactment of the Community Energy Authority (CEA) law (Government Code 52000). CEAs allow local communities to develop and implement low income, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, and to pass bonds to finance them. CEAs can be established by single communities or include more than one local government. CEA is one of the options Humboldt and Ventura are considering.

The one current California example of a regional energy program provider is the San Diego Regional Energy Office (http://www.sdenergy.org/). SDREO was formed through a memorandum of understanding between San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego State University Center for Energy Studies, and San Diego Gas & Electric. It became operational in 1998, and in 2001 became an independent nonprofit organization.

SDREO’s primary activities include energy policy and planning, public interest energy programs, and serving as an energy information clearinghouse for San Diego’s public and private sectors. SDREO is developing an energy resource center at its office, and is implementing programs to install cool roofs, distributed generation systems and shade trees, among others.

Other jurisdictions investigating regional energy structures include Marin County and some East San Francisco Bay communities.

For more information about the Regional Energy Authority pilot projects, contact Pat Stoner at pstoner@lgc.org.