Energy

As California proceeds with large-scale offshore wind projects, state leaders need to establish policies that ensure both economic and environmental success for the next wave of clean energy development.

Three fossil fuel plants will stand by to provide emergency power for three more years despite California's mandate to switch to clean energy by 2045.

California’s electric rates are among the highest in the country. Three big power companies propose charging fixed rates based on income, saying low-income customers will save money. Critics doubt it’ll work.

With temperatures soaring and air conditioners working overtime, Californians’ electricity bills are peaking as well. Will a contentious new rate proposal help families, especially those living paycheck to paycheck? That’s the big question explored by Wendy Fry of CalMatters’ California Divide team. Last year, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom passed an energy bill requiring […]

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislature need to put aside any lingering animosity over a package of contentious infrastructure bills and take the next steps to make California's clean energy goals possible. There's no time to waste.

Other states in the U.S. are building formidable regional cooperation plans to safeguard their power grids, but California remains largely isolated. A proposal this year to bolster grid collaboration in the West was unsuccessful, but shouldn't be viewed as a deterrent to a critical step for California's energy resilience.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to decarbonize California's economy but the California Environmental Quality Act is an impediment. So, he wants to streamline the law's application for big public works projects.

Environmental advocates uncovered ties from SoCalGas to the California Restaurant Association lawsuit that overturned Berkeley's ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings, asserting that the private utility improperly used ratepayer money to support the legal firm.

A decision is expected Friday. Trucking companies say the deadlines for converting big rigs, delivery trucks and other heavy vehicles will cause “chaos and dysfunction” of California’s economy. Some residents urged the board to enact even stronger measures to clean up their polluted air and "put our lives over profit."

California utility companies are working on a controversial pricing structure that would bill households a different fixed charge depending on their income — but the idea is catching heat from Republicans who argue it will hurt low-income families. As you may have already noticed on your own bill, monthly electric bills come with a few […]