Page 11 - WEB_Neat

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 20 June 2018

California lawmakers move closer to regional electric grid

By JONATHAN J. COOPER needed to pass Tuesday,
Associated Press even as two Democrats
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) said they had deep res-
— A contentious proposal ervations and may vote
to link oversight of Califor- against it at a later stage.
nia's electric grid with other The measure requires sup-
states in the U.S. West nar- port from two more Senate
rowly cleared a legislative committees before ad-
hurdle Tuesday, keeping vancing to the full Senate
alive a proposal that has and Assembly.
divided environmentalists The Western grid includes
over the best way to ex- 38 so-called balancing
pand renewable energy. authorities that match the
The proposal, backed by power supply with demand
influential proponents in- in states west of the Rocky
cluding Democratic Gov. Mountains.
Jerry Brown, seeks to make It's unclear how many other
it easier and cheaper to states have grid operators
deploy renewable energy that want to link with Cali-
across the western United fornia's. Washington Gov.
States. But critics say Cali- Jay Inslee wrote a letter
fornia would jeopardize supporting California's leg-
renewable energy man- islation, saying his state's
dates by sharing grid man- abundant hydroelectric-
agement with states that ity can contribute carbon-
use more coal and natural free energy to the market.
gas— a possibility they see "This bill will help Washing-
as more likely under Presi- ton and California meet
dent Donald Trump. our clean energy and cli-
The proposal approved mate protection goals," In-
Tuesday by a Senate com- slee, a Democrat, wrote.
mittee would transition the If California's legislation
California Independent is approved, state utility
System Operator, which is regulators would need to
overseen by a governor- sign off on individual utilities
appointed board, to a re- looking to link with the re-
gional group without politi- gional grid, but most states
cal appointees. In this Sept. 23, 2013, file photo, a tugboat pushes a barge down the Sacramento River past wind would not likely require leg-
California has greatly ex- turbines near Rio Vista, Calif. islative action, said Curt
panded the use of renew- Associated Press Zichella, director of western
able energy sources, par- eration across the West used to boost demand for Several unions representing transmission for the Natural
ticularly wind and solar, but would make it easier to natural gas or coal power renewable energy workers Resources Defense Coun-
that's brought new chal- use renewable resources produced elsewhere. They say electric capacity could cil, which supports the leg-
lenges for grid operators from other states to meet worry that Trump's efforts to shift to neighboring states islation.
to manage supply and de- demand in California, revive coal plants, which with cheaper land and la- Consumer Watchdog, a
mand as weather patterns and vice versa. They say it are seeing declining de- bor. Los Angeles-based ad-
and sunlight vary. would lower costs for con- mand, would require Cali- The idea for a regional grid, vocacy group, warned it
California at times has ex- sumers by reducing the fornians to buy coal power. which was first proposed in would open up the energy
cess solar power that must need for spare power-plant "The risks simply aren't worth the 1990s and shelved dur- market to financial specu-
be offloaded to other and transmission capacity. it," said Matthew Freed- ing the state's energy crisis, lation at a higher cost for
states, which are some- "If California is truly commit- man, staff attorney with re-emerged several years consumers.
times paid to take it so the ted to a high renewable The Utility Reform Network, ago. It was the subject of a "This is the same bag of
grid doesn't get overload- energy future, the truth an advocacy group. The fierce lobbying push in the goods that was sold to Cal-
ed. Other times, natural is we need to start doing state has other options to final days of the legislative ifornians in the late 1990s,
gas power plants are fired things differently," said Lau- improve western coopera- session last year but never when Enron swooped in
up to keep air conditioners ra Wisland, senior manager tion without ceding control got a vote. and took advantage of this
humming as the sun goes for energy at the Union of over the grid operations, he It cleared the Senate En- speculative market," said
down. Concerned Scientists. said. ergy, Utilities and Commu- Jaimie Court, the group's
Proponents of a regional But critics say that same There are also concerns the nications Committee with president.
grid say improving coop- infrastructure could be plan would eliminate jobs. the bare minimum votes q