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Rules committee forwards clean-power ballot measure after clarifying rooftop-solar rules
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee voted without objection to forward an ordinance to the full board that would place a clean-energy measure on the November ballot, clarifying how rooftop (behind‑the‑meter) solar and certain renewable energy credits would be treated.
At a special meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, members voted without objection to forward to the full board a proposed ordinance that would amend the city’s environment code to define "clean energy," "green energy" and "renewable greenhouse‑gas‑free energy" and set how some renewable energy credits are counted on the ballot this November.
The measure, presented to the committee as an item to be placed on the Nov. 3, 2015 ballot, was revised to remove language about nuclear energy and to add provisions explaining how above‑minimum renewable portfolio standard (RPS) choices interact with reporting of "category 3" renewable energy credits, Jason Fried, executive officer of the San Francisco Local Agency Formation Commission, told the committee. "The Department of Environment estimates that about 9% of our overall load would fall into that category," Fried said, referring to rooftop, behind‑the‑meter generation.
Why it matters: The changes are intended to let the city pursue more rooftop solar without running afoul of state minimum RPS rules. Fried said the city is placing a voluntary limit on the use of unbundled category‑3 credits above state minimums while allowing behind‑the‑meter generation to be treated differently so that rooftop solar can help raise the city’s clean‑power share.
Public advocates at the meeting urged caution on timing. Eric Brooks of San Francisco Clean Energy Advocates told the committee that advocates expect a written confirmation from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) before the board votes. "They're gonna send out a press release immediately announcing their intentions to campaign against their measure and for our measure," Brooks said; he urged the board to wait until that public statement is issued before the item moves forward.
Board President London Breed, a voting member of the committee, said she supported the revisions and praised stakeholders for working toward consensus. Breed said the mayor had committed to launch CleanPowerSF aggressively and that the revised item should help avoid a costly ballot fight and let the city move the program forward sooner.
Chair John Avalos moved to forward the item to the full board as a committee report. The motion was seconded and "taken without objection," and the clerk noted items acted on today will be placed on the Board of Supervisors agenda for Sept. 8 unless otherwise stated.
What the measure does: According to the presentation to the committee, the ordinance would (1) add definitions of clean/green/renewable greenhouse‑gas‑free energy into the environment code, (2) specify how certain unbundled renewable energy credits are reported and limited for the city's voluntary goals above state minimum RPS levels, and (3) allow behind‑the‑meter rooftop generation to be treated so it can count toward the city's higher, voluntary targets. Exact text and implementation mechanisms will appear in the ordinance language sent to the full board.
Next steps: The committee forwarded the matter to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation; the clerk said items acted upon at this meeting are scheduled to appear on the Sept. 8 Board agenda. No formal roll-call vote was recorded on the floor of the rules committee beyond the motion being "taken without objection."
