Whatever happened to Butte Choice Energy?
I wrote three emails, one to Chico City Council member on the Board, Dale Bennett, and forwarded it to Erik Gustafson and Butte County Administrator Brian Sing, who are listed on the website. My subject line read: “Please provide status of Butte Choice Energy CCA.”
For background: “https:// www.buttechoiceenergy. org … Butte Choice Energy will launch a new community choice aggregation program in 2023, which could provide an initial 2% energy savings to customers, with a total regional savings of approximately $4 million, and will create clean energy programs to benefit local customers and community development.”
On March 25, 2024 I wrote, “Dear Councilmember Bennet,
“I was shocked watching the last Chico council meeting where you voted to not do 3-minute reports for your districts or committees. When I found out you are on the Board of our CCA, I feel you should make a report on this.
“I was managing Chico 350 and 350 Butte County at the time when many organizations worked hard to get this agency and policy implemented, and there it sits on a shelf in radio silence with a website that hasn't been updated since 2019.
“You would be doing Chico citizens a real service in these critical mass times of constant PG&E rate increases which are unsustainable. Can you please find some way to communicate to Chico what is happening with our CCA? It was supposed to go into effect in 2022 as I recall. An LTE to the Chico E-R or a request to council to agendize it for discussion are two possible ways to communicate the status. You are often silent on the council, please don't stay silent on this crucial program.
Thank you for a reply.”
After no reply, I forwarded it to the other two and I continue to wait for any reply. I noted to them that there seems to have been no meetings since 2022 per the website.
Recently a Chico E-R editorial stated: “This January, PG&E monthly bills reached $294.50 a month on average for the typical residential customer who receives combined electricity and gas services. That was 22.3% higher than the average monthly charges that went into effect a year ago.”
Several times a year we get PG&E increases now. There is something our city and county could be doing to help us all out with implementing Butte Choice Energy. (BCE) However, if no government official will even tell us the status, what choice do we have? I hope others will join me in trying to get some answers.
Of course, the best solution for all Chico residents would be publicly-owned utilities. Other cities like Biggs and Gridley already do this, so could Chico with the right leadership. Our rates would be much lower and there would be no obscene corporate salaries and bonuses for PG&E.