SF considers 100% green energy policy
City lawmakers must first approve proposal
San Francisco's legislative branch is considering a proposal to enter a $19.5 million contract with Shell Energy North America that would allow regulators to provide city and county residents the option of 100 percent renewable energy. The city's 11-member Board of Supervisors is considering allowing the Public Utilities Commission to implement the CleanPowerSF proposal. The contract with Shell could be as long as five years, according to the Board's agenda item, and threatens the market share of Pacific Gas and Electric, which has for years held a monopoly on the city's power grid. Power would still flow through PG&E's network. If approved, targeted customers would be pre-enrolled and have five months to opt out. After that, the opt-out fee would be $5; there would be no fee to opt in. Estimates place the average bill increase at about $9 a month. It would be California's second community clean-power program, following nearby Marin County, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. The SF PUC Chairman estimated that the program could reduce carbon emissions tenfold in the first year alone, the Chronicle reports. For more: Related Articles:
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