SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced a bill today to help California reduce its reliance on carbon-emitting generators during disaster-driven power outages by empowering local governments to more strategically plan for the use of clean, distributed energy resources, with a priority on low-income communities.
“Not only have recent power outages cost California billions of dollars, but emissions from backup generators have exacted a heavy toll on our environment,” Sen. Dodd said. “I want to prioritize development of clean energy sources, especially in low-income communities, so we minimize the environmental threat and keep the lights on for everyone.”
Senate Bill 833, the Community Energy Resilience Act, calls for the creation of a technical assistance and grant program administered by the California Energy Commission to help local governments develop clean energy resilience plans, leveraging the substantial related investments that have already been made by the CEC.
SB 833 enables local governments to collaborate with utilities in planning community-scale energy infrastructure such as solar panels and battery storage so that communities are deciding what facilities remain energized during a crisis. Plans are a prerequisite for attracting private and public investments in community energy resilience projects, which are particularly important in light of the recently passed federal infrastructure package.
Sen. Dodd’s proposal is backed by a coalition of environmental, community and industry advocates including the California State Association of Counties.
“Climate impacts from wildfires to extreme heat waves are disrupting lives and businesses across California,” said Ellie Cohen, CEO of The Climate Center, which is sponsoring the bill. “The Community Energy Resilience Act represents an important step toward a clean energy future for the state. We look forward to working with Sen. Dodd to pass this commonsense legislation and ensure that California’s most vulnerable communities benefit first.”
Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
