Edhat Staff
Community Environmental Council Director of Energy and Climate Programs Michael Chiacos, President Council Member Diane Boss, Jefferson Litten, Michelle Sevilla, and Bob Perry (courtesy photo)
By edhat staff
Santa Barbara County and local city officials vote to pursue the formation of a City-run Community Choice Energy (CCE) entity.
CCE allows local control over where your electricity comes from and allows local government to develop innovative programs and policy related to local energy goals. It can also gain leverage to negotiate better rates with competitive suppliers and choose greener power sources.
Even with CCE, Southern California Edison will continue to deliver the electricity over their infrastructure.
On July 16, the County of Santa Barbara voted 4-1 to join Monterey Bay Community Power, and the City of Goleta directed staff to move forward in August. Additionally, on July 30, the Santa Barbara City Council voted to pursue the formation of CCE.
The program is endorsed by local nonprofit, the Community Environmental Council who sees this as “the single most effective program that could be launched to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The move is expected to enable our region to access programs that reduce the cost of electric vehicles, develop renewable energy microgrids, build local solar projects, increase energy efficiency, and more – leading area residents and businesses to more rapidly adopt clean energy technologies.
Monterey Bay Community Power is expected to rebrand to reflect the Central Coast and the communities it will serve across five counties, from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz.
Remember when Sugar-Ray-Leonard would spin one fist..
then hit with the other?..
Carp is trying to do the same. It’s not going to lower the cost, it just lets them pick and choose greener and regional/local energy sources, at overall higher cost but with more feel-good karma. You can already choose greener electricity from SCE (google SCE green rate program), but it costs about 1.5 cents/Kw more than the residential standard rate. Expect similar from these CCEs. Me skeptical.
This is just another government-run corporate welfare program.
What happens if 50% of residents won’t drink the cool aid and opt out?
Will we get options for lower rates, or will we just have different options for getting shafted?
The City is overwhelmed with the things they try do already -Now that they want to go run our utilities?
The city can do whatever it wants as long as I can opt out.
The idea of being able to negotiate better rates sounds good, but I can’t imagine a situation where the city of Santa Barbara would take action to lower the cost of anything. I think there must be a provision in the city’s charter that forbids such a thing. I’m concerned this new approach to energy will drive up utility bills, impacting those least able to afford the additional expense. If anyone benefits from this new program, I predict it will go to a small group of wealthy and privileged individuals, likely in the form of special rebates or discounts associated with the purchase of luxury electric vehicles or solar equipment. Is there anything the city could do to help ease the cost of living for those struggling to make ends meet?
Great news, count me in.
CCE is designed to address the CLIMATE CRISIS! It is essential that we switch to solar and wind energy sources to save the planet for our children and grandchildren. Please give this change the importance that it carries and be willing to pay a minimal amount more monthly to SAVE THE PLANET!
Whenever I see the word “choice”, it usually means our real ability to choose what we want will be limited so that the controllers can control the masses.
I want the low cost + high reliability choice, not the high cost + intermittent uptime choice please.