KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON--LWVC Energy Forum
On January 28th, an overflow crowd of League members and other interested citizens heard the leading energy experts in California state the need for a clear, long-term plan for keeping the lights on-a plan that is not yet in evidence. Northern California doesn't face the immediate pressures of the southern part of the state, but overall there are immediate needs for improvements in the transmission infrastructure as well as incentives to improve the efficiency of energy use and alternatives to the growing dependence on natural gas.
Paul Clanon, deputy executive director of the California Public Utilities Commission, made it clear that all parties were to blame for the electricity crisis-the legislators, the regulators and the merchant generators who became the market manipulators. According to Bill Ahern, former executive director of the CPUC, energy customers will continue to pay a steep price for the problems that resulted from the deregulation debacle for some years to come. Moreover, at this point, it is still not clear just who is responsible for protecting the people/customers from a further crisis. Assemblymember Joseph Canciamilla spoke of the lack of an institutional memory in the legislature and urged League members to tell their legislators to not do anything if they don't know what they are doing. He also said: "If you are looking for answers, they aren't going to be coming anytime soon."
Joe Desmond, the governor's top energy advisor noted that the administration is seeking to support economic growth and environmental stewardship, and the economic growth component could involve another stab at allowing large customers to negotiate power contracts independently. Matt Freedman noted that TURN would be working to put an initiative on the ballot in June to keep that from happening. Commissioner John Geesman of the Energy Commission, noted that the energy agencies are now collaborating in a manner that is unprecedented and that the League has been the major voice in representing the public interest in the relatively new process of open workshops to develop state energy policy priorities.
--Jane Turnbull, LWVC Energy Committee
