San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay partner with Monterey Bay Community Power
Natural Resources Manager Robert Hill, Mayor Heidi Harmon, Sustainability Manager Chris Read.
–On Wednesday, the Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) Policy Board unanimously approved the inclusion of the cities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay as new members to the list of municipalities served by MBCP, one of California’s most innovative and fastest growing Community Choice Energy (CCE) agencies. By adding approximately 29,000 new customers, MBCP will grow its customer base to over 300,000 customers served exclusively with carbon-free energy or an additional reduction of 25,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
“We are very excited to be joining Monterey Bay Community Power,” said San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon. “Our city is working toward one of the most aggressive climate change targets in the country. By joining MBCP, we are able to achieve our 2020 Climate Action Plan target and have a strong foundation to work toward longer term target of carbon neutrality, all while having access to new programs and stimulating our local economy.”
Today, 19 different CCEs, also known as CCAs (Community Choice Aggregators) are serving eight million customers across California, helping to lead the way towards achieving California’s ambitious climate goals. CCAs are also providing cities and counties with more local control over their electricity needs and less dependence on investor-owned utilities like PG&E to generate electricity.
“The City of Morro Bay is excited to join Monterey Bay Community Power, a proven Community Choice Energy program, to bring affordable, greener and cleaner energy to our community,” said Mayor of Morro Bay, Jamie Irons.
Community Choice Energy has long been a key strategy for both San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay to meet their climate goals. San Luis Obispo passed a resolution back in 2015 to explore Community Choice Energy and most recently, San Luis Obispo became the first city in California to set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. After careful consideration, both cities concluded that joining Monterey Bay Community Power is the fastest and most effective way to bring additional community benefits to the Central Coast. Last month, city councils of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay both voted unanimously in favor of joining MBCP.
“The CCA community continues to grow at a remarkable rate, driven by communities that are committed to customer choice, reducing carbon emissions and embracing renewable energy resources,” said MBCP CEO, Tom Habashi. “Here on the central coast, this new partnership with the cities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay affirms our region’s long-standing commitments to environmental stewardship and economic stimulation. Our team is really excited to bring these cities into the fold and we hope more communities in our region and across California follow in their footsteps.”
The tentative date for MBCP’s newest member agencies to be operating under an amended Joint Powers Authority agreement is January 2020. After today’s vote, the motion moves the implementation plan to the California Public Utilities Commission for certification.
With the inclusion of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, MBCP continues to excel in providing tangible benefits to the Central Coast through carbon-free electricity, customer rebates and energy programs.
* Emissions analysis estimated by MBCP’s 2018 emission factor of 2 lbs/MWh of CO2 and PG&E’s estimated 2017 emission factor of 198 lbs/MWh of CO2
