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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd 13-16 Uncodified Community Choice Aggregation ORDINANCE NO. 13 — 16 AN UNCODIFIED ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN AUTHORIZING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION PROGRAM THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The City Council hereby finds and declares: A. The County of Alameda ("County") has been actively investigating options to provide electricity supply services to constituents within the County with the intent of achieving greater local involvement over the provision of electricity supply services, competitive electric rates, the development of local renewable energy projects, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the wider implementation of energy conservation and efficiency projects and programs. B. Assembly Bill 117, codified as Public Utilities Code Section 366.2 (the "Act"), authorizes any California city or county whose governing body so elects, to combine the electricity load of its residents and businesses in a community wide electricity aggregation program known as Community Choice Aggregation ("CCA"). C. The Act allows a CCA program to be carried out under a joint powers agreement entered into by entities that each have capacity to implement a CCA program individually. The joint power agreement structure reduces the risks of implementing a CCA program by immunizing the financial assets of participants. To this end, since 2014, the County has been evaluating a potential CCA program for the County and the cities within Alameda County. D. The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in June of 2014 to allocate funding to explore the creation of a CCA Program and directed County staff to undertake the steps necessary to evaluate its feasibility. To assist in the evaluation of the CCA program within Alameda County, the County established a Steering Committee in 2015, that has met monthly, advising the Board of Supervisors on the possibility of creating a CCA Program. E. The Technical Feasibility Study completed in June of 2016 shows that implementing a Community Choice Aggregation program would likely provide multiple benefits to the citizens of Alameda County, including the following: 1. Providing customers a choice of power providers; 2. Increasing local control over energy rates and other energy-related matters; 3. Providing electric rates that are competitive with those provided by the incumbent utility; 4. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions arising from electricity use; 5. Increasing local and regional renewable generation capacity; 6. Increasing energy conservation and efficiency projects and programs; 7. Increasing regional energy self-sufficiency; and 8. Encouraging local economic and employment benefits through energy conservation and efficiency projects. Ord No. 13-16, Adopted 12/06/2016, Item No. 4.2 Page 1 of 3 F. Representatives from the County and Alameda County cities have developed the East Bay Community Energy Authority Joint Powers Agreement ("Joint Powers Agreement"). The Joint Powers Agreement creates the East Bay Community Energy Authority ("Authority"), which will govern and operate the CCA program. The County and the Alameda County cities that elect to participate in the CCA Program shall do so by approving the execution of the Joint Powers Agreement and adopting an ordinance electing to implement a CCA Program, as required by Public Utilities Code Section 366.2(c)(12). G. The Authority will enter into agreements with electric power suppliers and other service providers and, based upon those agreements, the Authority plans to provide electrical power to residents and businesses at rates that are competitive with those of the incumbent utility. Upon the California Public Utilities Commission approving the implementation plan prepared by the Authority, the Authority can provide service to customers within it member jurisdictions. 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 at any time. SECTION 2. Based upon the findings set forth in Section 1, the City elects to implement a Community Choice Aggregation program within Alameda County by and through the City's participation in the East Bay Community Energy Authority. SECTION 3. CEQA The City Council finds, under Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15061(b)(3), that this ordinance is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in that it is not a Project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The City Council therefore directs that a Notice of Exemption be filed with the Alameda County Clerk in accordance with the CEQA guidelines. SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such a decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Dublin hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance and each section or subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid. SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE AND POSTING OF ORDINANCE This Ordinance shall take effect and will be enforced thirty (30) days from and after the date of the passage. The City Clerk of the City of Dublin shall cause this Ordinance to be posted in at least three (3) public places in the City of Dublin in accordance with Section 36933 of the Government Code of the State of California. Ord No. 13-16, Adopted 12/06/2016, Item No. 4.2 Page 2 of 3 * * * The foregoing ordinance was introduced before the City Council of the City of Dublin at the regular meeting of the City Council, held on the 15th day of November 2016, and finally adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 6th day of December 2016, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Biddle, Gupta, Hart, Wehrenberg and Mayor Haubert NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: G Mayo ATTEST: APPROVED TO FORM AS: 124 .u.___.. Pei Ifij City Clerk City Attorney Ord No. 13-16, Adopted 12/06/2016, Item No. 4.2 Page 3 of 3