Group: 'SDG&E Set to Stifle' Community Choice Energy

SAN DIEGO, CA — A San Diego-area climate watchdog organization expressed disappointment with a recent decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to approve San Diego Gas & Electric's request to form an independent district to handle public relations about a term that is cropping up more and more: community choice energy.

Also called community choice aggregation, or CCA, community choice energy brings local control. It is when municipalities allow residents and businesses to choose alternative energy providers. In some instances, cities or local jurisdictions may choose to establish their own energy corporations, similar to how municipal water districts are operated.

Climate Action Campaign says the decision comes at a time when several cities in the region, including Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and San Diego, are considering community choice energy as part of their climate action plans.

Currently, SDG&E is the region's only electricity provider.

"SDG&E has made clear they’ll stop at nothing to stifle the voices and the freedom of choice for families and businesses who want better energy options to save money, clean the air and create a brighter, healthier future with home grown clean power," stated Nicole Capretz, executive director of the Climate Action Campaign.

"We will not let this stop our progress," Capretz said. "We are just getting started on a positive campaign to improve our quality of life. We won't stop until we offer families the freedom they deserve. After all, that's the American way."

SDG&E's plan would create a new marketing division housed at its parent company, Sempra, which Capretz says would be used to market and lobby against community choice using unlimited shareholder funds.

She said Climate Action Campaign was among several cities, elected officials, businesses and environmental organizations who submitted letters expressing opposition to SDG&E’s plan, claiming the playing field is not level.

Patch obtained this statement from SDG&E in response to Climate Action Campaign's claims:

"We believe the commission's decision is a step in the right direction and will help educate SDG&E customers and allow them to make an more informed choice. The decision will enable San Diegans to benefit from a balanced dialogue. As the first California energy company to deliver 33 percent of its energy from renewable resources and to eliminate coal from its resources, we plan to continue to do everything we can to help the region reduce carbon emissions in a cost effective manner to better the lives of our customers."

Capretz said despite being largely disappointed by the CPUC's decision, Climate Action Campaign supports "the consumer protections recently added by the commission to create a 'firewall' to limit SDG&E’s coordination with its parent company, Sempra Energy, including requiring it marketing division to operate at Sempra offices, rather than SDG&E offices, as well as restricting the sharing of information and staff, including independent contractors, with SDG&E."

"We will keep pressing the commission to adopt more meaningful protections that limit SDG&E’s ability to overwhelm community choice energy efforts," Capretz said. "The safeguards approved today are a start, but not sufficient to level the playing field and prevent SDG&E from killing the freedoms and opportunities our families deserve. [This is] an unfortunate setback for community choice, but nowhere near defeat. This is just the beginning of a battle we will win. We still have some tricks up our sleeves."

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