[Music]
if you don’t know where you’re going any
road will get you there luckily the road
to community energy is clear and it has
a glorious end my community energy road
started in October 2011 and it ended in
June of 2018 this year with the
formation of the solana Energy Alliance
our local community energy program this
program is now up and running and it is
the only program in the County of San
Diego as a community energy program so
why did I devote seven years of my time
to this road number one I was very angry
in October 2011 in October 2011 the
local utility decided that it was going
to tax the surplus electrons coming off
of a solar system that were then
exported on to the grid which the
utility then sold to its neighbor so
this is what is referred to as
double-dipping number two I had a
fearless friend the environmental
conscience and leadership of Solana
Beach was dr. Jack Hagin our he made it
clear that community Solana Beach and
yours must do what it must end the use
of fossil fuels he was a friend and a
mentor he used his knowledge of the
danger of increasing greenhouse gases to
help convince the city of Solana Beach
that it must adopt a community energy
program and it did and we are no longer
on the timetable of the local utility
for reaching 100% renewable energy three
Community Choice Energy is better than
no choice and for with a Community
the community enjoys a new set of social
benefits from the surpluses of the sale
of electricity those surpluses stay in
the community to advance the community’s
mission infrastructure and social
welfare the road included all
communities in San Diego not just Solana
Beach there were challenges and there
were setbacks along with a local energy
leader I formed the San Diego energy
district we created a board we sought
out volunteers and we created a mission
of Education and we took that on the
road everywhere in San Diego on the
roadways of community energy in
California business executives activists
elected leaders they all teamed up
Lancaster Sonoma both launched beautiful
community energy programs in June of
2010 the county of Marin fired up the
first community energy program in the
state of California in spite of fierce
opposition from the local utility in San
Diego today scores of activists advocate
for community energy from Santee to
Oceanside to Escondido and especially in
the city of Sandy
where it has a 100% renewable energy
commitment by – by 2035 and notably the
climate action campaign a non-profit has
become recognized as a national leader
for its work on community energy
formation and climate action policy so
why after seven years is Solana Beach
the only city in the County of San Diego
with a community energy plan I think I
have an answer first we have to
understand the powers of the local
utility as a natural monopoly you’re
looking at what our cities used to look
like at the turn of the century then
electricity was new and companies were
stringing electric wires all over the
place hot and dangerous electrocution
was the leading cause of death to impose
safety and order the United States
government enshrined into law the
concept the notion of a natural monopoly
in a single stroke of the pen the law of
the land became that one and only one
company would own the electric wires in
a community the privilege of being a
natural monopoly is in the DNA of every
electric local utility by law this
utility will never have competition as
monopoly the government is responsible
for protecting you the consumer in
principle electric utilities cherish
their monopoly status
who wouldn’t and when the monopoly is
private the putt not publicly owned the
utility does what it maximizes its
shareholder value to the detriment of
you the customer the era of the
telephone monopoly is in the rearview
mirror innovation reigns why do we not
use a rotary phone and why do we use
this because the telephone monopoly came
to an end 50 years ago by contrast the
electric utility stands strong today on
this natural monopoly law the the
generation and use of electricity has
changed little in the last 100 years
a local utility will also extend its
monopoly such as it will jaw it will own
the generation of electricity like a
nuclear power plant extensions also may
include restricting you the consumer in
competing with the natural monopolies as
it did in 2011 when our local utility
proposed taxing surplus electrons that
went off of the solar system and on to
the electric grid those electrons would
have competed with the local utility in
a free market economy the local utility
plays with an outsized advantaged in
California we have rules and referees we
have in California a community energy
law dating back to 2002 and also we have
a very strong Public Utilities
Commission
so here is why I believe Solana Beach is
the only city to have a community energy
program in the County of San Diego we
were very careful not to vilify the
local utility as the enemy sure it was
an opponent as in a soccer match but
never did we create never did we foul
and call the utility our enemy that
mistake was made elsewhere in the county
of San Diego and subsequently the local
utility teaming up with its parent has
been on a warlike footing in San Diego
County opposing community energy and
this marketing effort has been very
successful in fact for several years the
County of San Diego considered community
energy and just recently abandoned it
and it did so as a result of this
effective lobbying okay we need to get
into the weeds a little bit about
exactly what is community energy and how
does it work so follow me please and
look at the diagram on the screen there
are three moving parts as you can see
the community program on the left is
your program that procures clean green
and affordable electricity the local
utility is in the middle and it is
responsible for the delivery of those
electrons to you the consumer on the
right and you are the winner on the
right in Solana Beach as a result of the
delivery of your
clean affordable electrons on the left
as you can see in the picture the local
utility is your partner it is the man in
the middle it is responsible for the
delivery of those electrons from your
Community Energy Program to you the
consumer it is in Solana Beach a
win-win-win so rule number one of
Community Energy formation do not turn
the local utility into your enemy the
local utility is strong it is bigger and
it will become a fierce adversary
rule number two form a championship team
to get the community energy program off
the ground the team that and then the
squiggly road that I was on I had four
phenomenal sets of champions the first
were the local activists in Solana Beach
this was the clean and green committee
which had a significant success under
its belt we were the first city in the
County of San Diego to ban the
single-use plastic bag it was to this
committee that I reported every month
the status of community energy in the
state of California as well as in San
Diego number two we had in the assistant
manager of Solana Beach an advocate for
the environment three
we had city leaders who took it upon
themselves to learn about community
energy law by attending conferences here
in San Diego as well as elsewhere in
California and lastly California has a
community energy law like New Jersey New
York
juice it’s Rhode Island Ohio and
Illinois our law provided us the vehicle
the legal right to establish a community
energy program if you do not have that
law your community energy program is
doomed by the opposition of the electric
local utility especially if it is
investor owned rule number three follow
the golden rule do no harm to others in
working to launch the Community Energy
Program of Solana Beach my heart and my
mind had a vision I want to see my
grandchildren living at peace in a
social and environmental equilibrium a
steady-state if we destroy the
environment society collapses droughts
sea level rise ocean acidification will
undo us social order will disintegrate
extinction will threaten our very
species so gather your community around
a clean energy and fresh water future
you have the time and the talent I urge
you to address today’s environmental
challenges as an activist as a
strategist as a leader follow the
community energy Road thank you [Applause]
if you don’t know where you’re going any
road will get you there luckily the road
to community energy is clear and it has
a glorious end my community energy road
started in October 2011 and it ended in
June of 2018 this year with the
formation of the solana Energy Alliance
our local community energy program this
program is now up and running and it is
the only program in the County of San
Diego as a community energy program so
why did I devote seven years of my time
to this road number one I was very angry
in October 2011 in October 2011 the
local utility decided that it was going
to tax the surplus electrons coming off
of a solar system that were then
exported on to the grid which the
utility then sold to its neighbor so
this is what is referred to as
double-dipping number two I had a
fearless friend the environmental
conscience and leadership of Solana
Beach was dr. Jack Hagin our he made it
clear that community Solana Beach and
yours must do what it must end the use
of fossil fuels he was a friend and a
mentor he used his knowledge of the
danger of increasing greenhouse gases to
help convince the city of Solana Beach
that it must adopt a community energy
program and it did and we are no longer
on the timetable of the local utility
for reaching 100% renewable energy three
Community Choice Energy is better than
no choice and for with a Community
the community enjoys a new set of social
benefits from the surpluses of the sale
of electricity those surpluses stay in
the community to advance the community’s
mission infrastructure and social
welfare the road included all
communities in San Diego not just Solana
Beach there were challenges and there
were setbacks along with a local energy
leader I formed the San Diego energy
district we created a board we sought
out volunteers and we created a mission
of Education and we took that on the
road everywhere in San Diego on the
roadways of community energy in
California business executives activists
elected leaders they all teamed up
Lancaster Sonoma both launched beautiful
community energy programs in June of
2010 the county of Marin fired up the
first community energy program in the
state of California in spite of fierce
opposition from the local utility in San
Diego today scores of activists advocate
for community energy from Santee to
Oceanside to Escondido and especially in
the city of Sandy
where it has a 100% renewable energy
commitment by – by 2035 and notably the
climate action campaign a non-profit has
become recognized as a national leader
for its work on community energy
formation and climate action policy so
why after seven years is Solana Beach
the only city in the County of San Diego
with a community energy plan I think I
have an answer first we have to
understand the powers of the local
utility as a natural monopoly you’re
looking at what our cities used to look
like at the turn of the century then
electricity was new and companies were
stringing electric wires all over the
place hot and dangerous electrocution
was the leading cause of death to impose
safety and order the United States
government enshrined into law the
concept the notion of a natural monopoly
in a single stroke of the pen the law of
the land became that one and only one
company would own the electric wires in
a community the privilege of being a
natural monopoly is in the DNA of every
electric local utility by law this
utility will never have competition as
monopoly the government is responsible
for protecting you the consumer in
principle electric utilities cherish
their monopoly status
who wouldn’t and when the monopoly is
private the putt not publicly owned the
utility does what it maximizes its
shareholder value to the detriment of
you the customer the era of the
telephone monopoly is in the rearview
mirror innovation reigns why do we not
use a rotary phone and why do we use
this because the telephone monopoly came
to an end 50 years ago by contrast the
electric utility stands strong today on
this natural monopoly law the the
generation and use of electricity has
changed little in the last 100 years
a local utility will also extend its
monopoly such as it will jaw it will own
the generation of electricity like a
nuclear power plant extensions also may
include restricting you the consumer in
competing with the natural monopolies as
it did in 2011 when our local utility
proposed taxing surplus electrons that
went off of the solar system and on to
the electric grid those electrons would
have competed with the local utility in
a free market economy the local utility
plays with an outsized advantaged in
California we have rules and referees we
have in California a community energy
law dating back to 2002 and also we have
a very strong Public Utilities
Commission
so here is why I believe Solana Beach is
the only city to have a community energy
program in the County of San Diego we
were very careful not to vilify the
local utility as the enemy sure it was
an opponent as in a soccer match but
never did we create never did we foul
and call the utility our enemy that
mistake was made elsewhere in the county
of San Diego and subsequently the local
utility teaming up with its parent has
been on a warlike footing in San Diego
County opposing community energy and
this marketing effort has been very
successful in fact for several years the
County of San Diego considered community
energy and just recently abandoned it
and it did so as a result of this
effective lobbying okay we need to get
into the weeds a little bit about
exactly what is community energy and how
does it work so follow me please and
look at the diagram on the screen there
are three moving parts as you can see
the community program on the left is
your program that procures clean green
and affordable electricity the local
utility is in the middle and it is
responsible for the delivery of those
electrons to you the consumer on the
right and you are the winner on the
right in Solana Beach as a result of the
delivery of your
clean affordable electrons on the left
as you can see in the picture the local
utility is your partner it is the man in
the middle it is responsible for the
delivery of those electrons from your
Community Energy Program to you the
consumer it is in Solana Beach a
win-win-win so rule number one of
Community Energy formation do not turn
the local utility into your enemy the
local utility is strong it is bigger and
it will become a fierce adversary
rule number two form a championship team
to get the community energy program off
the ground the team that and then the
squiggly road that I was on I had four
phenomenal sets of champions the first
were the local activists in Solana Beach
this was the clean and green committee
which had a significant success under
its belt we were the first city in the
County of San Diego to ban the
single-use plastic bag it was to this
committee that I reported every month
the status of community energy in the
state of California as well as in San
Diego number two we had in the assistant
manager of Solana Beach an advocate for
the environment three
we had city leaders who took it upon
themselves to learn about community
energy law by attending conferences here
in San Diego as well as elsewhere in
California and lastly California has a
community energy law like New Jersey New
York
juice it’s Rhode Island Ohio and
Illinois our law provided us the vehicle
the legal right to establish a community
energy program if you do not have that
law your community energy program is
doomed by the opposition of the electric
local utility especially if it is
investor owned rule number three follow
the golden rule do no harm to others in
working to launch the Community Energy
Program of Solana Beach my heart and my
mind had a vision I want to see my
grandchildren living at peace in a
social and environmental equilibrium a
steady-state if we destroy the
environment society collapses droughts
sea level rise ocean acidification will
undo us social order will disintegrate
extinction will threaten our very
species so gather your community around
a clean energy and fresh water future
you have the time and the talent I urge
you to address today’s environmental
challenges as an activist as a
strategist as a leader follow the
community energy Road thank you [Applause]
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