The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to form an ad hoc Lake County Energy Policy Committee to develop a countywide energy strategy and advise the board on community choice aggregation, project siting and other energy matters.

County staff framed the committee as a vehicle to set county policy on intake and management of energy projects, evaluate state and federal policies that affect local interests, advise on siting for geothermal and other projects, pursue initiatives to mitigate high energy costs and analyze potential environmental impacts. "As you will recall...interest was expressed by multiple supervisors in developing a broader energy strategy and or policy for the County Of Lake," Matthew Rothstein, Chief Deputy County Administrative Officer, told the board.

Benjamin Rickleman, the deputy county administrative officer focused on economic development, said staff has been meeting with nearby community choice aggregators, citing scheduled conversations with Marin Clean Energy and Valley Clean Energy and outreach to Pioneer Energy. He pointed to Imperial County's 2022 appropriation under SB 125 — a $5,000,000 award used to fund a programmatic EIR and specific plan covering lithium and geothermal development — as a model the county may pursue for environmental analysis, noting the draft document approaches 1,000 pages and covers seismicity, water usage and Salton Sea impacts.

"There's been some engagement with other CCAs," Rickleman said, and he also flagged recent interest from energy companies. He said a geologic hydrogen company, identified as Coloma in the discussion, plans subsurface imaging in Lake Mendocino and Sonoma beginning in April and expects to contact several hundred landowners; any exploratory drilling would require county permitting and state approvals.

Supervisors endorsed forming a standing group to guide policy and outreach. "I'm really excited about this. I think it's much needed," Supervisor Owen said. Supervisor Pyszka urged the board to "pause for a minute and set our table" so developers know who to contact and staff can prepare permitting and project pathways. Several supervisors said tribes and incorporated cities should be involved early to avoid conflict and legal exposure.

Public commenters emphasized inclusion and local control. Margo Kambara called the committee "a terrific first step" and urged the county to cast a wide net for energy solutions, including options to lower permitting fees, offer revolving loans or defer costs through property tax mechanisms so self-generation becomes affordable. A speaker identifying as the vice mayor of Lower Lake warned of past confusion around geothermal proposals and urged rules to protect lakeshores and require bonds to ensure removal of industrial infrastructure if projects fail.

Board members also noted offers of outside technical help. Supervisor Hahn said a power agency has offered to assist pro bono and suggested, if successful, the work could substantially lower household electric bills.

On the motion, the board approved forming the Lake County Ad Hoc Energy Policy Committee and named two supervisors as the board's representatives; the motion carried 5-0.

The board did not adopt detailed committee bylaws or a work plan at the session; staff will return with recommended membership language, potential funding approaches and next steps for establishing stakeholder outreach.