As a member of Atascadero’s City Council, I would like to respond to a recent letter to the editor regarding “Elected officials should have done basic research” (Aug. 8). The letter implied that “the council wasn’t doing its job” when it delayed voting on the proposal for community choice energy. I don’t think most citizens understand that if the City Council had decided to participate in Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP), everyone living within the city limits would automatically be enrolled in MBCP unless they individually opt out. This is a big decision, and it affects every resident of the city.
The council asked many questions at the meeting, but several were not answered. Here’s a few of the questions that were asked:
• Why was PG&E not allowed to answer council questions about the MBCP (I called PG&E and was told that they couldn’t talk about it)? It would be helpful to hear from both energy providers before making a decision.
• The representative from Monterey Bay clearly stated that there were three categories of green energy available to the city and its citizens: 35 percent green energy, 50 percent green energy, or 100 percent green energy. They were unable to explain how this would actually work when there isn’t enough green energy available yet on the grid. Would they have to supplement it with “dirty energy” such as coal, nuclear, natural gas powered, etc.?
• How will MBCP separate the energy in the transmission lines, with 35 percent green energy sent to one home and 100 percent green energy to an adjacent home? Don’t they share the same power line?
• If the city “opts in” and asks for 100 percent green energy, would all of our citizens be automatically enrolled in the 100 percent category unless they request a different amount or opt out?
• Is a rebate given to all customers, or only to those selecting 35 percent green energy? Will the 100 percent green energy actually be more expensive than power from PG&E?
• If San Luis Obispo county decides not to participate in the program (they haven’t made that decision yet) will the MBCP be economically viable without it?
And more.
Rebates are great, and competition between energy providers is a good thing. However, glib answers and a high-pressure presentation isn’t enough. The devil is always in the details, and asking for more information doesn’t imply that the council hasn’t done its homework or that they’d “rather not discuss it.” To the contrary!
Roberta Fonzi
City Council member
Atascadero
This article appears in Education Today 2019.
It is curious that our city is the only city in the county which did not pass let alone agendize Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP). All these questions brought up by Councilperson Fonzi could have been answered with a staff report if the item had been agonized. The bottom line is our residents and businesses would be paying less in energy cost with this green energy plan. Call for the Atascadero City Council to agendize this issue which will come before the SLO Board of Supervisors in months ahead.
Thank heaven for a city council that wants to look behind the curtain of unknown information. The questions asked by our Atascadero City Council are valid. Just where is all of this green energy going to come from. Its dark at night and solar power would have to be subsidized with batteries that are not cost effective nor environmentally sustainable. What will the price of purchase and replacement of batteries be in the future? Trying to find and provide green energy would put the city in risk of inflated price costs as dams are removed. Where will energy be purchased from, Candida, Africa? The whole idea smells like a used car sales pitch with very small print in the contract. It sounds good today but whats to prevent the future price going up negates all of the savings today by gouging tomorrow. A city must plan for many years in the future not just tomorrow.