Galvin Initiative’s Yeager to Calif. Voters: Proposition 16 Threatens California’s Renewable Energy Standard Goals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 1, 2010
CONTACT:
Maria Enie, 202-248-5460, menie@vancomm.com
*** INTERVIEW ALERT ***
GALVIN INITIATIVE’S YEAGER TO CALIF. VOTERS: PROPOSITION 16 THREATENS CALIFORNIA’S RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD GOALS
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Next week, California voters will take a position on Proposition 16, a ballot initiative jeopardizing the state’s ability to cut carbon emissions, harvest local clean energy, reduce electricity costs and create green jobs in their communities. According to Kurt Yeager, executive director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative, Marin County and other California communities have the potential to dramatically increase their renewable energy supply at competitive prices in the California clean energy market through community choice aggregation. Unfortunately, says Yeager, Pacific Gas & Electric’s Proposition 16 will put the brakes on those efforts. With aggregation, local governments can purchase power from cleaner energy sources, even making local renewable power generation a possibility.
Since Independent System Operators now manage effective and efficient competitive wholesale electricity markets in California, Yeager believes that communities are critical players if the state is to meet its 20 percent by 2010 and 33 percent by 2030 state renewable portfolio standards. By empowering communities, aggregation takes an important step toward creating a consumer-driven power system. Rather than clinging to policies that are as antiquated as the grid itself, California voters need to defeat Proposition 16 and protect laws like community choice aggregation that maximize consumer benefits, encourage innovation and open the door for more aggressive action to protect our environment.
WHO: Kurt Yeager, executive director of the Galvin Electricity Initiative,
president emeritus of the Electric Power Research Institute, chair
of the World Energy Council Study on Energy and Climate Change,
and co-author with Robert Galvin of the book, Perfect Power: How
the Microgrid Revolution Will Unleash Cleaner, Greener, and More
Abundant Energy
WHY: “By defeating Proposition 16, California voters can protect their
community’s right to buy and use greener power for lower costs in
the competitive markets as compared to local utility rates,” said
Yeager. “Putting purchasing power into communities’ hands can
pay big dividends for Californians in reducing carbon emissions,
but it also saves consumers money and offers custom pricing
plans and in-home services that give them choice.”
WHEN: Interviews are available by request. Contact Maria Enie at
202-248-5460 or menie@vancomm.com.
The Galvin Electricity Initiative was launched by former Motorola CEO Robert W. Galvin to transform our electric power system into one that is reliable, efficient, secure and clean, and meets the needs of 21st century consumers. In 2010, the Initiative is accelerating its campaign to spark a migration toward a consumer-driven electric power system in select states. The campaign goal is to promote grid modernization through policy reform to pave the way for Perfect Power smart microgrids that place top priority on serving consumers and businesses with reliable, high-quality, clean power. For more information about smart microgrids and the Galvin Electricity Initiative, visit www.galvinpower.org/microgrids and follow http://twitter.com/perfectpower.
