Letter to the Editor: Re “Power board is being ruined in the dark” (The Sacramento Bee)
PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 9, 2017
By Daniel M. Kammen The Sacramento Bee
Re “Power board is being ruined in the dark” (Viewpoints, Sept. 6): The California Municipal Utilities Association is wrong that a proposal to integrate California’s electricity grid throughout the Western region has only been discussed in private. Electricity grid governance and operations issues have been scrutinized since 2015, with dozens of public workshops, public meetings of the California Energy Commission and California Public Utilities Commission, and an Assembly Committee hearing. Stakeholders, including publicly owned utilities, have had ample opportunity to discuss proposed changes to the California Independent System Operator governing board that would lower electricity costs and make our energy system more reliable. Fully independent governing boards are the norm for other U.S. grids. Supporters of the Secure California’s Energy Future campaign, including myself, have voiced support for Independent System Operator governance reform since March. Californians shouldn’t wait for more affordable and reliable clean energy.