These campaigns have an ongoing need for volunteers at all levels of time and committment. Get involved now - so that you can watch them develop over time - and when they achieve important environmental goals, you'll know that you were there and made a difference.

Marin, San Francisco, Alameda Counties moving to secure energy supplies and counteract global warming

Community-choice electricity offers best chance

Several local cities and counties are considering the most effective step a local government can take to secure reliable energy supplies for its residents and businesses and to reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions.

Community Choice Aggregation is an innovative new way to secure reliable cleaner and greener energy supplies as well as reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by effectively and rapidly scaling up renewable energy, efficiency, and conservation. Through CCA, under California law, a local government serves as an electricity-buyer's cooperative for local residents, businesses, and government agencies. Unlike with ordinary cooperatives, however, day-to-day securing of electricity supplies is managed by a qualified and experienced energy service provider, while the local government acts as strategic planner, contracting with existing licensed electricity generation plants. It's municipal power procurement without the risks or headaches - in fact, CCA is a risk-avoidance device to smooth out anticipated volatility of energy costs.

CCA allows cities, counties, and water agencies to take more control of their energy futures. By allowing the local government to greatly increase energy (and water) efficiency and conservation as well as use of renewable resources, CCA promises large, long-term reductions in CO₂ emissions from electricity generation - greater reductions than achieved through renewable portfolio standards or other approaches. CCA potentially offers a 50% increase in renewable power over 10 years - while meeting or beating PG&E rates and managing risk and price volatility better than current supply portfolios.

Sierra Club California has endorsed CCA statewide, and the Bay Chapter is working to get it implemented throughout our area. We are on the verge of success in San Francisco (see below). Marin is our next step, and further to Oakland, Berkeley, and other East Bay municipalities.

CCA in Marin

Marin completed Phase One of CCA last year, when a study by Navigant Consultants endorsed feasibility of CCA for Marin and several dozen other cities and counties who partnered in the study. County authorities are now seeking a green light from Marin's 12 cities to move ahead with a Phase Two implementation study and specific plan for a CCA joint-powers authority.

The Marin CCA Campaign fits nicely into Sierra Club's ongoing national "Cool Cities" campaign to reduce emissions of warming gases and promote clean-energy solutions.

The Sierra Club California Energy Committee and the Marin Group have been enlisting other organizations and individuals in a Marin CCA Alliance campaign. Marin Sierrans have been chief campaign organizers, along with Bay Chapter staff. The idea is to inform businesses, local officials, and civic groups about how CCA can favor local job growth, cleaner air, climate protection, and stable rates. This is much more than an "environmental" effort and seeks to actively involve those interested in the county's economic and commercial side.

Other counties

In San Francisco the Club, along with the Community Choice Energy Alliance, has been working with the Board of Supervisors, the mayor's office, and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to pass Community Choice Aggregation for the city. There is solid support in all branches. We expect a Board vote in September.

The Northern Alameda County Group will be discussing CCA at its October Conservation Committee meeting.

WhatYouCanDo

Join the Marin CCA campaign as a volunteer, for as much or little time as you like. Everyone is welcome, and we especially need folks with skills in marketing, publicity, speaking, and technical areas. To volunteer, contact or call (510)848-0800, ext. 304

Contact the Marin County Board of Supervisors, especially your individual district's supervisor, at bos -at- co.marin.ca.us, or (415) 499-7331 or by mail:

3501 Civic Center Drive, #329
San Rafael, CA 94903.

Urge the Board to move ahead to implement CCA and ask how you can help.

To support CCA in other parts of the Chapter, also contact Mike Daley at the above number. He can let you know when the San Francisco Supervisors will be voting on it. We hope to have a good public presence at the meeting to celebrate this precedent-setting victory and to remind the Supervisors how important CCA is! Please come.

Ed Mainland, Marin resident and co-chair, Sierra Club California Energy-Climate Committee

Protecting the hills of Pittsburg

Last November the hills of Pittsburg were put in jeopardy.

The people of Pittsburg pride themselves on the beauty of their hillsides, but developer Albert Seeno tricked voters into passing Measure P. Many thought that by supporting P they were voting to protect open space and reduce traffic - but in reality they were voting to extend the city's Urban Limit Line, thus opening up the foothills of Mount Diablo to development. The phony ballot measure won by a mere 300 votes, in a campaign that saw the overnight theft of nearly every anti-development sign.

Seeno doesn't seem to think that is enough. He is now asking the Pittsburg City Council to annex 768 acres of county land into the city for development. Seeno is also pushing for a development agreement to lock in residential zoning and the expansive Urban Limit Line. He has not submitted a development plan, but wants the development rights first - then he'll deign to submit a plan.

This is not the proper process. Usually, before completing a development agreement, the property has to be added to the city's sphere of influence, and the intensity of development has to be specified. But Seeno wants to skip these steps and guarantee that he will be allowed to build over 1,000 houses in the hills, regardless of the will of future voters or their elected representatives.

This would undermine the public's right to participate in decision-making. The public should have the opportunity to participate in the planning process before any development is approved. Seeno knows that the people of Pittsburg are not in favor of this type of development on their hills. That is why he has to use these backdoor tactics. It is time that we all stand up and let Seeno know that we are paying attention to his dirty tactics and are not going to tolerate them.

WhatYouCanDo

The City Council will soon be voting whether to allow the annexation of the 768 acres. Contact councilmembers at:

City Manager's Office
65 Civic Ave.
Pittsburg, California 94565.

It is best to contact them right away, before they vote on the annexation, to tell them not to annex the land. But if they do vote for the annexation, we must still urge them not to approve any development agreement that ruins Pittsburg's hills.

In the coming months we will be campaigning intensely to educate people in Pittsburg about the threat to our hillsides and gather their support.

For more information, including the date of the Council vote on the annexation, and to help out in the campaign, contact or call (510) 848-0800, ext. 306