A major announcement about how San Diegan’s might get their energy in the future
Today Kevin Faulconer, San Diego’s Mayor announced his support of a governmental formed entity that could provide Energy to San Diego Residents. His reasoning: that it would be easier for such an entity to meet the stringent regulatory phase-in of renewable power by 2045 (statewide); and would save San Diegan’s money. Whether that is purely political conjecture or whether it has some legitimate potential to deliver on Faulconer’s soundbite, it yet to be determined.
Does this State Run Energy Decision have Anything to do with Partisan Politics?
It’s not likely that the long-criticized position of Kevin Faulconer, which finally was made public today, had anything to do with Partisan Politics. It may, however, signify just how moderate a Republican that Faulconer is when it comes to certain San Diego issues. What is even more telling is that business opposition for such a line of thinking has widespread coverage from both sides of the aisle.
The genuine displeasure in that type of decision has critics from bi-partisan positions dropping commentary today. Of course, just because the Mayor thinks it’s a good idea, doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion that San Diego will adopt the concept and run with it.
San Diego has pledged to be running on renewable source entirely by 2035, since the 2015 Climate Action Plan was put into play. This was a decision that was anticipated but not necessarily predicted by many to be exactly this way, given Faulconer’s previous positions and talking points.
California Cities have been adopting the concept since about 2010, is it inevitable that energy production goes this way?
The Mayor’s desired route to energy efficiency is to team up regionally with other municipalities to improve buying power and operational capacity. What’s not clear is whether that would be a good fit for San Diego, or whether the other neighboring communities have an interest in such a plan.
There are many communities that do seem interested, however. Solana Beach, for example, would likely welcome the idea, having moved that way earlier this year. Carlsbad, Oceanside and other coastal communities tend to be quite progressive on the energy discussion as well and that may be a welcomed course of action for their cities.
Up the coast, several large communities have embraced the concept of government-led initiatives that partner with grid-tied companies like SDGE (the standing provider in the county), to offer two choices. In what some might call regulated control of the private company, others would call, cheap, easy to maintain power generation for all San Diegans.
What will the outcome be about energy production and day-to-day delivery of power for San Diego?
In a move that seems counter to private business, but also seems quite fair to county residents, time will tell whether it gains momentum and if it is ultimately a good decision by San Diego’s mayor, who may not be in place to see it through after his term is up in 2020. Will Faulconer move on to “other things” or will he see it through at the local level and stay engaged in San Diego politics to help guide his newest “big idea” through to conclusion.
