Resolution L-526 DRAFT May 11, 2017

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Legal Division San Francisco, California

Date: May 11, 2017

Resolution L-526

RESOLUTION

RESOLUTION RATIFYING ACTION BY THE PRESIDENT OF THIS COMMISSION, MICHAEL PICKER, TO SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) WITH THE WASHINGTON UTILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND OREGON PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION.

Background

This Commission ratifies the action of President Picker in signing a MOU with the Washington and Oregon utility regulatory commissions.

In 2006, California, Washington, and Oregon state utility regulators signed an agreement calling climate change a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of all people, and agreeing to promote clean, safe, affordable and renewable energy to mitigate climate change’s impacts. Ten years later, the Chairs of the California, Washington and Oregon public utility commissions reaffirm this commitment to ensure that investor-owned utilities regulated by the commissions operate in a manner that combats climate change and promotes the use of safe, clean, affordable and renewable sources of energy. The commitment appears in a new version of the MOU that contains specific activities and steps to ensure progress in this joint endeavor. The Chairs of the three Commissions, including President Picker, signed the MOU on March 7, 2017.

This Commission has long recognized that climate change presents serious risks to human health and safety and that combating its impacts is an urgent need.

This resolution ratifies President Picker’s action in signing the MOU. The MOU contains an updated statement of shared principles and outlines specific steps the commissions will take in their cooperative effort to promote cost effective, reliable, and clean energy resources and infrastructure. Shared principles include regional cooperation to address climate change; development and use of low carbon technologies in the energy industry; promotion of cost-effective conservation and demand response; a strong, continued commitment to renewable energy resources; support for energy planning processes that recognize the ability of low-carbon resources to provide reliability and cost-effective benefits, while fostering new technology and innovation; and advancement of infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation industry.

The MOU directs the respective staffs of the Commissions to implement the steps outlined therein and to develop an annual set of objectives and a work plan to ensure regular communication among the three states.

COMMENTS ON DRAFT RESOLUTION

The Draft Resolution was mailed to parties for comments on April 6, 2017, in accordance with Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 311(g). Comments were filed on _________. Reply comments were filed on ____________.

Findings OF FACTS

1. This Commission has recognized that climate change presents serious risks to human health and safety and that combating its impacts is an urgent need.

2. This Commission should ratify President Picker’s action in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the public utility commissions of Washington and Oregon in which the three states commit to taking specific steps to continue promoting safe, clean, affordable and renewable sources of energy.

Therefore it is ordered that:

1. The Commission ratifies President Picker’s action in signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the public utility commissions of Washington and Oregon in which the three states commit to taking specific steps to continue promoting safe, clean, affordable and renewable sources of energy.

2. This Resolution is effective today.

I certify that the foregoing resolution was duly introduced, passed and adopted at a conference of the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California held on May 11, 2017 the following Commissioners voting favorably thereon:

__________________________________

TIMOTHY J. SULLIVAN

Executive Director

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