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How TURN Leads on Climate Policy in California

How TURN Leads on Climate Policy in California. NASUCA Panel: Consumer Advocates as Climate Policy Leaders 2014 NASUCA Midyear Meeting • Santa Fe, NM • Jun 3, 2014 Mark W. Toney, Ph.D., TURN Executive Director mtoney@turn.org • 510 590 2862. TURN Organizational Snapshot.

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How TURN Leads on Climate Policy in California

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  1. How TURN Leads onClimate Policy in California NASUCA Panel: Consumer Advocates as Climate Policy Leaders 2014 NASUCA Midyear Meeting • Santa Fe, NM • Jun 3, 2014 Mark W. Toney, Ph.D., TURN Executive Director mtoney@turn.org • 510 590 2862

  2. TURN Organizational Snapshot • Small, experienced staff of 9 energy & telecom attorneys • Total staff of 15. Supplemented with expert consultants. • Legal advocacy, legislative action, organizing, communications. • Partnerships with wide range of policy advocates • Consumer, environmental, labor, community, faith–based. • Strategic partnership with Office of Ratepayer Advocates.

  3. Policy Leadership Means to: • Drive energy policy debates and outcomes. • Beyond responding to utility rate applications. • Lead at the cutting edge of energy policy: Climate Policy • Beyond revenue requirements, rate design, consumer protection. • Create consumer positions: Distinct from utility/renewables. • Win support from broad range of interested parties.

  4. Most Green for the Least Green • How to get greatest carbon reduction at best value? • Reducing energy consumption is cheapest way to reduce GHG. • Exercising leadership in Energy Efficiency policy. • How to generate renewable energy at affordable prices? • Sun and wind as cheap fuel, vs volatility of gas prices. • Most renewable cost is upfront capital, negligible fuel costs. • How to expand utility/renewables corporate accountability? – Fair rooftop subsidies without cost shifts to non-solar customers.

  5. RPS: Legislative Leadership • TURN was a leader in adoption of RPS in 2002, 2006, 2011 • Developed concept, drafted language, partnered with bill authors. • Won key ratepayer protections to 33% renewables by 2020 • Market Price Referent to provide pricing benchmarks. • Deferred utility compliance penalties if renewables were too costly. • Consumers pay only for power delivered–not for signed contracts. • Imposed 25% cap for compliance with undeliverable RECs. • Won support of utilities, renewables, enviros, generators • Effective negotiations = bilateral discussions, not one big room.

  6. Climate Dividend: Regulatory Leadership • How to return ratepayer money collected for carbon permits • Utilities: Link customer rebates to energy consumption. • Higher monthly bills = higher dollar rebates. • TURN/ORA partnered with environmental advocates • CPUC ruling: Residential customer rebate of $30–$40 twice yearly. • Lower monthly bills = higher impact of rebates.

  7. Green Option: Utility Leadership • PG&E application to market green energy at a premium • Relied primarily on purchasing undeliverable RECs. • TURN has defeated similar PG&E Green Option proposal. • We proposed profound changes to gain TURN support • Revised application to focus on creating new local green generation. • Revised PG&E Green Option tarriff adopted by CPUC. • SCE is working with TURN to submit their green tarriff to CPUC.

  8. Climate Leadership for Consumer Advocates • Exercise leadership in multiple arenas • Legislative, regulatory, utility. • Build strategic partnerships • Environmental • Labor • Community. • Position consumer interests as unique and distinct • Create alternatives to utility and renewable industry positions.

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