June 24, 2021: Today, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted on a decision that directs all electric service providers in the state to procure 11,500 megawatts (MW) of new zero-emission electricity resources to come online between 2023 and 2026, enough to power about 2.5 million homes. This vote comes after strong public support for removing fossil fuels from the order, with hundreds of written public comments and voicemails urging the Commission to require new resources to be zero-emission only.
In April, we received a ruling from the assigned administrative law judge, signaling to stakeholders that the Commission was considering an order for 7,500 MW of new resources. Sierra Club, in partnership with the California Environmental Justice Alliance and Defenders of Wildlife, urged the Commission to procure more clean energy in order to advance towards the State’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets. Around late May, the PUC issued two proposed decisions: both authorized 11,500 MW, but they differed in how much new gas capacity could be procured, ranging between 500MW and 1,500 MW of new gas capacity.
Sierra Club and its partners urged the Commission to remove the authorization for new gas capacity as inconsistent with the state’s progress to greenhouse gas reductions and environmental justice. The majority of the state’s gas plants are currently located in disadvantaged communities that have been plagued with disproportionate pollution burdens. In addition, hundreds of individuals and community-based organizations submitted public comments to remove any new gas buildout from the order.
In response, the PUC consolidated both decisions and reversed course on fossil fuels, putting forth a revised decision that required all 11,500 MW of new resources to be clean energy, including specific carve outs for non-emitting resources with long lead times, like geothermal and offshore wind. The PUC in its revised decision referenced the hundreds of public comments from California residents, and especially environmental justice advocates, who strongly opposed including fossil fuels in any procurement as one of the reasons why it will now be removing gas.