California Power Authority Backs Greenpeace Demands For Clean Energy Financing

"We had our eyes on the CPA to make sure they didn't back-down to the fossil fuel companies," said Kristin Casper, campaigner for Greenpeace's Clean Energy Now! Campaign in California. "Now that it has let the clean energy cat out of the bag, even the big energy utilities and their allies in Sacramento can't put it back in."

Greenpeace's first priority at the meeting was to stop the development of 2000 Megawatts of gas-fired peaker plants by investing in clean energy, like wind, solar, and other non-hydro renewable energy forms. As well, the environmental group demanded that the CPA address global warming in its mission statement. As a result of the Greenpeace work, the Board members have placed a moratorium on financing gas-fired peaker plants and have redirected the focus of the CPA to finance renewable energy and conservation to meet statutory mandates of ensuring energy stability and reducing price volatility.

Greenpeace also called for a more open process, and the CPA agreed. CPA members openly admitted that their efforts to engage stakeholders were inadequate, and promised to actively seek out effected communities and individuals for their participation in future meetings. Greenpeace is demanding that the CPA hold future meetings outside of the Sacramento area to garner broad public participation.

"What an about face!," said JP Ross, Policy Analyst for Greenpeace's Clean Energy Now! campaign in California. "The CPA is putting all its cards on the table now, making it a lot easier for Greenpeace to make sure fossil fuel lobbyists don't try to stack the deck in their favor."