Sen. Dodd’s: Energy Resilience Bill Clears Committee

Thursday, June 30, 2022

 

SACRAMENTO – Legislation has advanced from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would help local governments become more energy resilient during climate-driven power outages by developing clean-energy plans.

“Our cities and counties must have clean-energy choices during power outages – often the result of our rapidly warming world,” Sen. Dodd said. “This legislation helps us confront this enormous challenge while keeping the lights on in our communities. I thank committee members for taking this important step toward achieving that goal.”

Senate Bill 833 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. It would enable 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.

SB 833 cleared the Assembly Utilities committee Wednesday with overwhelming support. It heads next to Assembly Appropriations.

“Triple-digit temperatures and power shutoffs have already begun. It is past time for California to walk away from dirty diesel generators and invest in clean, distributed energy,” said Ellie Cohen, CEO of The Climate Center, which is sponsoring the bill. “Gov. Newsom has proposed investing nearly $1.9 billion in distributed energy and storage this year, and we must make the most of that investment by passing SB 833. We thank the members of the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee for prioritizing Californians on the frontlines of the climate crisis and supporting commonsense, clean energy solutions that keep the lights on without compromising public health.”

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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.