Published: May 16, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle
by Michael Cunningham, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Bay Area Council, San Francisco

Regarding “Altering the energy market in the West” (May 11): I was glad to read David Baker’s excellent piece about a new study by Yale University Law School’s Environmental Protection Clinic that underscores the importance of an integrated Western regional electricity grid. The study shows how a regional grid would fuel California’s clean energy policy by creating more market opportunities for our homegrown solar and wind energy, improving efficiency and reliability and saving small businesses and working families billions of dollars. That’s why the Bay Area Council supports the Secure California’s Energy Future campaign.

Critically, the study also shows that authorizing a regional grid operator will not expose California’s clean energy policies to additional legal risks. Fears about federal interference may be overwrought. The California Legislature should take this opportunity to demonstrate true climate leadership and move now to authorize the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to transition to an independent board.

This is the first step to pave the way for CAISO to become an independent regional grid operator that all Western utilities and generators have the opportunity to join. A unified Western regional energy grid would help, not hurt, California’s forward-thinking clean energy policy agenda.

Michael Cunningham, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Bay Area Council, San Francisco

Read Michael Cunningham’s Letter to the Editor on the San Francisco Chronicle’s website.

Read the full Yale Environmental Protection Clinic report on the Yale Law School website.