Statement on PCIA Decision by the CPUC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 5.20.21
Contact: Leora Broydo Vestel
(415) 999-4757 | leora@cal-cca.org
CalCCA Statement on PCIA Decision by the CPUC
Today marks 454 days since the PCIA Working Group 3 (WG3) proposal was submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The proposal resulted from nearly a year of dedicated work by co-chairs representing CCA, IOU, and ESP customers to achieve consensus.
Through the WG3 process, co-chairs CalCCA, Southern California Edison, and Commercial Energy recommended solutions that would allow IOUs to more actively manage legacy energy resources to reduce above-market costs, which amount to billions of dollars per year that accrue to ratepayers, and to provide non-IOU customers with access to the full range of benefits they pay for through the PCIA. These include benefits associated with renewable energy, greenhouse gas-free energy, and resource adequacy.
Today, the CPUC issued a final decision on WG3. We appreciate that the Commission adopted a key element of the proposal that requires the IOUs to open up access to renewable energy benefits to all customers who pay for those benefits. Unfortunately, the CPUC denied provisions of the proposal that would allow equitable access to resource adequacy benefits and punted consideration of a GHG-free benchmark to a future proceeding.
The CPUC’s decision to block fair and equal access to these resources runs counter to the Legislature’s clear mandate that all ratepayers – IOU and CCA alike – should receive benefits from PCIA resources to offset their cost responsibility. By failing to comply with this directive, the CPUC is continuing a systematic practice of prioritizing bundled IOU customers over CCA customers when it comes to the treatment of legacy costs.
CalCCA will analyze the impact of this decision on departing load customers over the next few weeks. In the meantime, Senate Bill 612, legislation that advances ratepayer equity and cost savings, was voted out of the Senate Appropriations Committee today and is heading to the Senate floor. CalCCA will continue to advocate for timely PCIA solutions that reduce costs and increase stability for all ratepayers.
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About CalCCA: Launched in 2016, the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) represents California’s community choice electricity providers before the state Legislature and at regulatory agencies, advocating for a level playing field and opposing policies that unfairly discriminate against CCAs and their customers. There are currently 24 operational CCA programs in California serving more than 11 million customers.
For more information about CalCCA and community choice visit, www.cal-cca.org.
