Governor On Energy: "More Power, Lower Prices"
On December 14th, 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger issued
an Executive Order setting aggressive energy conservation goals
for state buildings and dedicated the Path 15 Upgrade, creating
an energy transmission superhighway between Northern and Southern
California.
At the California Independent
System Operator (Cal ISO) facility
in Folsom, the Governor signed his Green Buildings Executive Order,
setting the goal for state buildings to be 20 percent more energy
efficient by 2015 and encouraging the private sector to do the
same. The Green Buildings project will save taxpayers millions
of dollars and preserve California's resources and the environment.
"New state buildings and building renovations will use construction
materials and methods to lead the way in energy conservation," the
Governor said. "With better transmission, more generation,
a commitment to conservation, and a 15 percent energy reserve we
will accomplish the common sense goals of my energy plan: More
power and lower prices."
Following the Executive Order signing, Governor Schwarzenegger
flipped a ceremonial switch to dedicate the upgrade to the Path
15 transmission line. The upgrade adds a new 500-kilovolt power
line to the transmission corridor that links Northern and Southern
California.
"We all know that better transmission improves our energy
reliability," the Governor said. "It lets us access the
most affordable power in the market and it helps us tap into renewable
energy sources, like solar and wind power."
The expanded transmission capacity will prevent bottlenecks that
caused outages and cost California consumers millions of dollars.
Expanding transmission is a cornerstone of the Governor's energy
plan whose goal is reliable energy and lower costs for Californians.
Describing the current approval process for building new power
lines as too costly and time consuming, the Governor spoke of the
need for providing incentives for increased energy generation and
clearing the way for the construction of new power plants. He also
spoke of his plan to ensure consumers pay the lowest prices possible. "This
week, the Public Utilities Commission will approve my competitive
purchasing plan to ensure utilities contract for power at the lowest
price available," he said. "They have already approved
my plan to speed up the 15 percent reserve requirement for energy
suppliers from 2008 to 2006."
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