2014/12/09 City Council Resolution 2014-185RESOLUTION NO. 2014 -185
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK,
CALIFORNIA, REQUESTING THAT THE SONOMA CLEAN POWER AUTHORITY
ACT AS A COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATOR ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF
ROHNERT PARK AND IMPLEMENT THE SONOMA CLEAN POWER COMMUNITY
CHOICE AGGREGATION PROGRAM WITHIN THE CITY OF ROHNERT PARK
WHEREAS, the City of Rohnert Park has investigated options to provide electric services to
customers within the City, with the intent of achieving greater local control and involvement
over the provision of electric services, competitive electric rates, the development of clean, local
renewable energy projects, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the wider implementation of
energy conservation and efficiency projects and programs; and
WHEREAS, the Sonoma County Water Agency prepared a Feasibility Study and a draft
Implementation Plan for a community choice aggregation ( "CCA ") program in Sonoma County
under the provisions of Public Utilities Code section 366.2. The Feasibility Study and
Implementation Plan show that implementing a community choice aggregation program would
provide multiple benefits, including:
• Providing customers a choice of power providers;
• Increasing local control and involvement in and collaboration on energy rates and
other energy- related matters;
• Providing more stable long -term electric rates that are competitive with those
provided by the incumbent utility;
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions arising from electricity use within Sonoma
County;
• Increasing local renewable generation capacity;
• Increasing energy conservation and efficiency projects and programs;
• Increasing regional energy self - sufficiency;
• Improving the local economy resulting from the implementation of local
renewable energy and energy conservation and efficiency projects; and
WHEREAS, on December 4, 2012, the County of Sonoma and the Sonoma County Water
Agency approved a Joint Powers Agreement creating the Sonoma Clean Power Authority
( "Authority "). Under the Joint Powers Agreement, cities and towns within Sonoma County may
participate in the Sonoma Clean Power CCA program by adopting the resolution and ordinance
required by Public Utilities Code section 366.2. Cities and towns choosing to participate in the
CCA program will have membership on the Board of Directors of the Authority as provided in
the Joint Powers Agreement. The Town of Windsor and the Cities of Cotati, Sonoma,
Sebastopol, Cloverdale, and Santa Rosa have also adopted the ordinance and resolution required
by Public Utilities Code section 366.2, and are now participants in the Sonoma Clean Power
CCA program; and
WHEREAS, the Authority has entered into agreements with electric power suppliers and other
service providers, and based upon those agreements the Authority is able to provide power to
residents and businesses at rates that are competitive with those of the incumbent utility (PG &E).
The California Public Utilities Commission approved the Implementation Plan for the Sonoma
County CCA program ( "Implementation Plan "), and on May 1, 2014, the Authority began
providing service to customers within the unincorporated area of Sonoma County and within the
jurisdiction of those cities who have chosen to participate in the CCA program; and
WHEREAS, under Public Utilities Code section 366.2, customers have the right to opt -out of a
CCA program and continue to receive service from the incumbent utility. Customers who wish
to continue to receive service from the incumbent utility will be able to do so; and
WHEREAS, providing accurate information on energy choices is an important component of an
informed choice whether to participate in a CCA program or continue to receive service from the
incumbent utility, and thus information provided by the Authority should be transparent,
accurate, and suitably formal so as to allow informed decision making; and
WHEREAS, the population of the City of Rohnert Park is 40,971 according to the 2010 census
and its consumption of power extremely small in comparison to the amount of energy consumed
by PG &E's customer base (0.25 %), the consumption of power by Sonoma Clean Power is
likewise a very small fraction of the amount of energy consumed by PG &E's customer base
(2.4 %), and the power consumed by Sonoma Clean Power customers would have significantly
lower greenhouse gas emissions than the power consumed by PG &E's customers; and
WHEREAS, on November 25, 2014 and December 9, 2014, the City Council held public
hearings at which time interested persons had an opportunity to testify either in support or
opposition to implementation of the Sonoma Clean Power CCA program in the City of Rohnert
Park.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Rohnert Park
makes the following determinations with respect to the implementation of the Sonoma Clean
Power CCA program within the jurisdiction of the City of Rohnert Park:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct and material to this Resolution.
Section 2. Compliance with California Environmental Quality Act.
The City Council finds and determines that it can be seen with certainty that the there is
no possibility that the designation of the Authority to act as Community Choice Aggregator
within the jurisdiction of the City of Rohnert Park will cause any significant adverse effects on
the environment, and thus that such designation is exempt from the California Environmental
Quality Act. The City Manager is authorized and directed to file a Notice of Exemption pursuant
to the CEQA guidelines.
Section 3. Request that Sonoma Clean Power Authority Act as Community Choice
Aggregator.
The City of Rohnert Park hereby requests that the Authority act as Community Choice
Aggregator on its behalf within the jurisdiction of the City of Rohnert Park, and authorizes the
Authority to implement and carry out within the City of Rohnert Park the community choice
aggregation program as generally described in the Implementation Plan.
2014 -185
Section 4. Direction to Representative Regarding Transparency in Communications.
The City Council hereby directs the City's representative and alternative representative
on the Authority's Board of Directors to encourage the Authority to be as transparent and
accurate as possible in its public communications, including but not limited to the fair
representation of the source of energy provided to customers and providing notices that appear as
official communications rather than advertisements.
DULY AND REGULARLY ADOPTED on this 9th day of December, 2014.
CITY OF ROHN 1 I
PARK
�� -- 62 Jose. i ' . Callinan, Mayor
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2014 -185