According to a Jan. 31 report by Spencer Michels on PBS s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, approximately 30 municipal utilities throughout California run their own power departments and provide customers with electrical rates that are as much as 56 percent less than those charged by the major utility companies. Michael Welch, a renewable-energy advocate with the Redwood Alliance, said he agrees that public power is an important part of what needs to happen. He said that conservation and alternative-energy development must be given priority. I m not buying into the idea that we need more power generation. That s just a ploy made by corporate lobbyists to make more money, he said.
Some critics argue that environmental rules are constraining energy supply.
Welch said it is mostly older power plants that are operating below full capacity because they can t meet standards established by the federal Clean Air Act. We could replace so much of our current technologies with newer, cleaner ones like natural-gas turbines, which are designed to meet most emission standards. Welch also said Humboldt County customers could benefit from investing in alternative-energy sources such as wind power and solar power. He said when these are synchronized with California s electrical grid, residents or small businesses can participate in a state buy-down rebate program. The rebates will cover up to half of the costs of a solar-energy system.