December 30, 2020 - SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, on Tuesday announced new legislation to ensure California plans for continuous electricity during wildfire-driven power outages without relying on fossil fuel-powered backup generation.

“Power shutoffs during our ever-increasing fire seasons are imposing enormous costs on California, prompting a rush to buy carbon-emitting backup generators to serve critical facilities,” said Sen. Dodd. “But ensuring continuous power should not come at the expense of our environment. With adequate planning, clean energy alternatives can power the grid, providing a more reliable and sustainable source of electricity for our state.”

Senate Bill 99, or the Community Energy Resilience Act of 2021, establishes a grant program administered in part by the California Energy Commission for interested local government to take part in planning for alternative energy such as solar power for critical facilities. It was introduced Monday.

The proposal builds on the fact that more than a million California businesses already have solar power and there is substantial contribution to the energy grid from individual electric vehicle users. As a condition of funding, local governments would submit their plans to a stakeholder review board, which would report annually to the Legislature.

Sen. Dodd first introduced the proposal last year as Senate Bill 1314 but further action was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters included The Climate Center, Microgrid Resources Coalition, Center for Sustainable Energy, Clean Coalition, Vote Solar and California Solar and Storage Association.

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Senator Bill Dodd represents California’s 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Sonoma, Yolo, Sacramento, and Contra Costa counties. You can learn more about Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
Source: Senator Bill Dodd