We deserve choice! Marin Clean Energy (MCE) gives residents and businesses the choice of cleaner energy for the same price they currently pay to the utility. Anyone who chooses to stay with the utility can do so.
Marin Clean Energy (MCE) means local control. Board members are local City Council members, answerable to us, not Wall Street. MCE is non-profit, transparent, and accessible, and accountable to the community. Boards and managers of community-run power agencies tend to be more careful with the public’s money and more responsive to their concerns.
MCE is a bargain — the most economical way to fight global warming. State law (AB32) requires cities and counties to meet specific targets. MCE is more effective at reducing greenhouse gas emissions than anything else we could do as individuals, businesses or government, because MCE already has a regular, reliable stream of revenue from our monthly electricity bills. All other ways to address climate change must find new sources of funding.
MCE is the best use of the money we already spend for electricity. Marin residents and businesses already spend over a hundred million of dollars a year for electricity. We can eliminate virtually all the greenhouse gas emissions from our electricity simply by re-directing where our money goes. Our current utility frequently raises rates to pay for its 12% guaranteed profits, plus dozens of high-paid lawyers and lobbyists working to undermine clean energy regulation and fight community control, plus millions of dollars of advertising and public relations to try to fool the public about the company’s shortcomings.
MCE will be twice as green as our current utility from Day One, and our lead will only grow from there. MCE’s first electricity services contract guarantees a minimum of 25% renewables with no rate increase. This increases to 50% in five years. By state law, PG&E was supposed to provide 20% renewable energy by 2010, but it missed the target and has less than 15% renewables today. It opposed raising the state’s target to 33%. Half of PG&E’s so-called “clean” or “green” power is from risky, expensive, accident-prone nuclear power.
Community Choice Power is already a decade-long success story in Massachusetts and Ohio, where customers enjoy greener power and lower rates.
Community control of electricity has served California well for 100 years; averaging 20% lower rates than “investor-owned utilities” like PG&E. Today, one of four California homes gets its electricity from a public agency – in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Palo Alto, Alameda, and approximately 40 other cities. Munis were largely unaffected by the energy crisis, when PG&E went bankrupt; the best munis offer the cleanest energy in California.
The purpose of MCE is to minimize risk and expense throughout the transition to green power. MCE underwent a five-year planning process with feasibility studies by top California energy experts. The next step (going on right now) is to contract with an established energy provider as a bridge to get through the five-year start-up phase. The contract ensures that the provider, not MCE, will be at risk for any unexpected price shifts, and the provider, not MCE, will be responsible for the technical aspects of power purchasing, scheduling, maintaining reserves, etc.
Local economic benefits from local clean energy resources. Once MCE begins delivering power in June 2010, it can use some of the money we pay every month to finance construction of local renewables and energy efficiency. MCE’s contractor is required to substitute power from local renewable energy facilities as quickly as MCE can build them.
No cost to cities and counties. There has never been a cost for cities to launch MCE, and the general funds of the county and member cities are completely protected in the future because MCE should have plenty of money from our utility bills, and our contract with the electricity provider allows for an orderly termination in case of problems. There is a firewall between the City budget and the MEA budget that is codified by State law and explicitly re-stated in MCE’s initial agreement and our Operating Rules and Regulations.
No extra cost to individuals. People who can’t afford to pay more for cleaner energy, or don’t have the time or inclination to think about their electricity service, will still be included in MCE’s green energy service. With MCE, we all go green together with no rate increase.
MCE will make us proud. MCE has taken a slow, cautious route, but it is on track to be the very first Community Choice power provider in California. Many other cities and counties are watching our progress and may follow suit; our clean energy programs have the potential to inspire the nation.

PDF of these Talking Points

WEM fact sheet Jan 4, 2009