ARTICLE
Over the last dozen years a movement has swept throughout California to create independent community power agencies to deliver electricity to residents within a local jurisdiction instead of through the normal utility providers: PG&E in our region. The success stories that have surfaced in Sonoma and Marin County reflect both a clean energy source for your energy and a far greater savings to both the customer and the Community Choice Energy (CCE) entity. It is a win-win situation. The CCE model helps ensure local economic vitality because money from rates paid by local customers stays local. Surplus revenues that would normally flow to PG&E will now stay in the community to help fund renewable energy projects, create jobs and stimulate the economy. The Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) JPA (Joint Powers Authority) was formed as a result of the work of the MBCP Project Development Advisory Committee (PDAC). Formed in 2013, the PDAC was a region-wide collaborative partnership comprised of all 21 local governments within the greater Monterey Bay area, including the Counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and all 18 cities located within the region. The partnership also included Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority and Monterey Regional Waste Management District. Authorized by California legislation (AB 117 in 2001, amended by SB 790 in 2011), CCE allows counties and cities to pool their electricity load in order to purchase electricity or invest in energy projects and programs for local residents and businesses as an alternative to the existing utility provider, (PG&E.) What is Monterey Bay Community Power? It is our regional project among local government agencies that aims to provide electricity to residents and businesses throughout Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties through the new Community Choice Energy (CCE) model. CCE enables communities to choose clean-source power at a cost equivalent to PG&E, while retaining PG&E’s role in maintaining power lines and providing customer service. Why is this entity important to the future of the Central Coast Region? This is a shift in how local government works: from solo public agencies working on behalf of the city or county residents to a more collaborative regional scoped agency dedicated to a larger mission - providing clean and sustainable energy. We are very fortunate that this CCE model was initiated in our county, led by one of our county supervisors, Bruce McPherson, and championed by a Chamber board member and long-time community advocate, Gine Johnson. The hard labor of love to make this happen is like bringing a child into our community. There is the unfettering concern about delivering a healthy newborn and that is what is in process now with Monterey Bay Community Power.
Over the last dozen years a movement has swept throughout California to create independent community power agencies to deliver electricity to residents within a local jurisdiction instead of through the normal utility providers: PG&E in our region. The success stories that have surfaced in Sonoma and Marin County reflect both a clean energy source for your energy and a far greater savings to both the customer and the Community Choice Energy (CCE) entity. It is a win-win situation.
The CCE model helps ensure local economic vitality because money from rates paid by local customers stays local. Surplus revenues that would normally flow to PG&E will now stay in the community to help fund renewable energy projects, create jobs and stimulate the economy.
The Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) JPA (Joint Powers Authority) was formed as a result of the work of the MBCP Project Development Advisory Committee (PDAC). Formed in 2013, the PDAC was a region-wide collaborative partnership comprised of all 21 local governments within the greater Monterey Bay area, including the Counties of Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito and all 18 cities located within the region. The partnership also included Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District, Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority and Monterey Regional Waste Management District. Authorized by California legislation (AB 117 in 2001, amended by SB 790 in 2011), CCE allows counties and cities to pool their electricity load in order to purchase electricity or invest in energy projects and programs for local residents and businesses as an alternative to the existing utility provider, (PG&E.)
What is Monterey Bay Community Power? It is our regional project among local government agencies that aims to provide electricity to residents and businesses throughout Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties through the new Community Choice Energy (CCE) model. CCE enables communities to choose clean-source power at a cost equivalent to PG&E, while retaining PG&E’s role in maintaining power lines and providing customer service.
Why is this entity important to the future of the Central Coast Region? This is a shift in how local government works: from solo public agencies working on behalf of the city or county residents to a more collaborative regional scoped agency dedicated to a larger mission - providing clean and sustainable energy.
We are very fortunate that this CCE model was initiated in our county, led by one of our county supervisors, Bruce McPherson, and championed by a Chamber board member and long-time community advocate, Gine Johnson. The hard labor of love to make this happen is like bringing a child into our community. There is the unfettering concern about delivering a healthy newborn and that is what is in process now with Monterey Bay Community Power.