California CCA Count Rises to 3 Counties in Bay Area - 10 Counties Statewide

Sonoma County has formed the third Community Choice Aggregation in California, joining some 1200 municipalities nationwide now under CCA service. Sonoma Clean Power, whose local towns have already joined 2/3 of countywide electricity demand, will be larger than Marin Clean Energy to the south, and rival San Francisco's CleanPowerSF program in scale. Like San Francisco, Sonoma is strongly focused on energy localization in addition to greener power - on local green jobs, local business benefits, and augmenting local solar finance.

Now there is a new generation of counties all over California, from Del Norte to San Diego, that are in varying stages of public hearings on CCA. The infographic representation of California counties above is based on actual population size. As you can see, Community Choice has already changed energy in California (and already has nationwide), but is about to become a major part of our electricity system.

We at Local Power are committed to making this movement Real - really focused on a demand-side approach, a change of business model from monopoly supply-centered to demand-centered and customer ownership-centered. With the emergence of localization-focused CCAs, we have achieved a huge leap from the green supply paradigm of the 1990's. This is the unique strategic opportunity of CCA in the U.S. - specifically of demand aggregation as a distinctively demand-centric. San Francisco and Sonoma recognize this opportunity, and we hope you understand how profound and unique an opportunity it is for those who want decisive, meaningful action on climate change, and want it now.

Local Power is proud to have played the part we have in shaping the progressive vision of the CCAs in Sonoma and San Francisco, and look forward to working with local officials in California, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, and New Jersey - states where CCAs already serve 5% of the U.S. population. We feel that Community Choice has now earned the title of a national movement, and offers activists, communities, and policymakers in all states an unprecedented chance to achieve the kind of concerted effort and policy alignment that American was once known for - and the power of local government, more than any other public or private, to transform markets and build publicly needed infrastructure.

First Major US Climate Action Plan Released

The Sonoma County (California) Climate Action Plan is out - click on coolplan.org to view and download documents - implementing the highest carbon reduction target yet set by any local jurisdiction in the United States - a 25% Reduction from 1990 levels by 2015.

Local Power wrote the whole energy element, which achieves a 66% Renewable Portfolio Standard by 2015 without requiring any increased energy costs. Community Choice (CCA) provides the logistical backbone of an integrated power/thermal/transportation fuel project - billed as a "public works" project on the web site, which was posted just a few days ago.

The Sonoma Climate Action Plan is by far the most visionary, far-reaching project Local Power has been lucky to be allowed to help write. Moreoer, its announcement adds Sonoma County to the list of jurisdictions now actively investigating CCA alongside San Francisco, Marin, San Joachin, and others.