[Southern California Permaculture] Wed April 15 noon-2 p.m -Is this the Time to Establish a CCA ( A Community Choice Aggregation) to Provide Local Clean Energy?

[Margie Bushman, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network]

Community Forum wed April 15 noon-2 p.m. Louise Lowry Davis Community 
Center, 1232 De la Vina St. Santa Barbara FREE 
<https://www.facebook.com/LWVSB>https://www.facebook.com/LWVSB League 
of Woman Voters Santa Barbara

Is this the Time to Establish a CCA to Provide Local Clean Energy?
A Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is an agency set up to buy 
electricity with a high percentage of green energy for the power 
company to supply to an area's customers. Customers have the ability 
to choose this source or the power company mix. Our April Forum will 
explain this new concept.

[]


Our speakers for the forum will include
Jeffery Litten of the Community Environmental Council, the lead 
organization in the local CCA effort;
Joe Galliani of the newest California CCA forming, South Bay Clean 
Energy, and County
Supervisor Salud Carbajal or County Supervisor Janet Wolf.

The April 15 forum will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the Louise 
Lowry Davis Community Center, 1232 De la Vina St. It is free and open 
to the public. Bring a brown bag lunch and beverages and desserts 
will be provided. Parking behind the center is free during the forum.

There are a number of reasons to be interested in moving now to green 
sustainable sources of electricity. The major reason for most 
Americans is to respond to climate change with costs and effects that 
only increase drastically with time. Local action is especially 
important given the limited ability of the federal government to 
respond. Surprisingly a second reason is now economics.
Electricity with a high percentage of green energy is now being 
supplied by California CCAs 4 to 5% cheaper than electricity from the 
utilities. Cities and ratepayers can save money and at the same time 
put CCA profits into local jobs in energy efficiency, solar, and 
green energy projects which are decided upon locally.
California is behind several other states in developing CCAs, but 
they have now been formed in Marin and Sonoma Counties in the north 
and are being formed in Lancaster and six coastal towns of Orange and 
LA counties in the south
. The state has mandated that local governments have a plan for 
reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) and a first milestone is in 2020. 
CCAs have been suggested as being an important part of several plans, 
but CCAs have not been acted on by either the county or the SB county cities.

A stumbling block to a local CCA formation has been the several 
million dollar setup cost and the need for a vote on a bond to fund 
this. The existing California CCAs above have been able to pay off 
the bonds in several years and still supply higher percentages of 
green electricity at 4 to 5% less cost than the power companies. Is 
this the time to educate the public and seriously consider a local 
CCA to meet the 2020 GHG milestones?



Santa Babara Permaculture Network Logo

(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie at sbpermaculture.org
http://www.sbpermaculture.org

P Please consider the environment before printing this email

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