“David Freeman and his supporters have shown their true colors –
and green is not one of them,” said Danny Kennedy, the Coordinator
of Greenpeace’s Clean Energy Now! Campaign in California. “They had
a chance to spark a clean energy revolution in the state, but would
rather get the government deeper into gas fired electricity
production.” Greenpeace has asked its active members – 50,000
strong in California alone, to campaign against the CPA’s
plans.
As well, Greenpeace is considering suing the CPA for refusing to
release documents used in its deliberative planning process, as is
required under the California Public Records Act. “We’ve had enough
of secret deals behind closed-doors, it’s time for the public to
know how our energy future is being shaped, and who really stands
to benefit from the CPA’s decisions” said Kennedy. The CPA can’t
succeed in its plans without the approval of the California Energy
Commission (CEC). Greenpeace’s Clean Energy Now! campaign is
working to get the CEC to reverse a decision it took earlier this
month to expedite the permitting process for several new gas-fired
plants.
Greenpeace is joined by business and conservative groups, as
well as other environmentalists in this effort because experts say
California will likely face a surplus of gas-fired electricity on
the market.
“Instead of being a Conservation
Financing Authority the agency is fast becoming a money wasting
business,” said JP Ross, policy analyst with the Greenpeace Clean
Energy Now! Campaign. “Freeman is adamant that he has to own and
operate gas fired peaker plants, which he contends will only be
operated for a few hundred hours a year. This is false. Once the
government has sunk millions of dollars into such capital projects
they will not be allowed to sit idle and not make money by selling
electricity into the grid.”
