The Zombie Nuclear Vote at Ava Community Energy is on Sept 18th at 6:00pm!

 Ava Community Energy (formerly East Bay Community Energy) staff have confirmed its Board of Directors will be voting on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:00pm whether to accept PG&E’s Diablo Canyon nuclear energy into its power mix.

Can you join the Local Clean Energy Alliance in Opposing PG&E’s Nuclear in Ava Community Energy?

We need you to speak to the Board of Directors via Zoom or In-person on September 18!

Sign up to speak with the Local Clean Energy Alliance. We will follow up with talking points and additional information.

To sign up, please email:
Hernando Sanchez hernando@localcleanenergy.org
Ayla Peters Paz  ayla@localcleanenergy.org

Details for the Ava Community Energy board meeting September 18

In Person:
Lake Merritt Room
Cal State East Bay, The Oakland Center
In the Transpacific Center
1000 Broadway, Suite 109
Oakland, CA 94607

Directions and parking information for the Oakland Center can be found here.

Via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87023071843

More details here on the Ava Community Energy website: https://avaenergy.org/meetings/board-of-directors-meeting-9-18-24/

You might recall a series of delays since the April 17 Ava Community Energy Board meeting when an informational item was presented on considering accepting nuclear power from PG&E and adding it to Ava Community Energy’s Bright Choice service program—the energy tier competitively priced below PG&E’s rates.

The Board of Directors delayed voting on whether to accept the nuclear energy until their upcoming meeting on September 18, and many local organizations, including the Local Clean Energy Alliance, are against this decision. Accepting nuclear power would go against the goal of providing clean, local solar and wind energy, as Ava states in its advertisements. Nuclear power is not sustainable and needs to account for several critical carbon-emitting factors. Instead of investing in cleaner energy resources like solar, wind, and energy efficiency, which would create more clean energy jobs, this is unjust to overburdened low-income customers, environmentally unsafe, and a “bait and switch” to Renewable 100 customers currently paying a premium for the promise of clean, renewable energy.

The political influence of PG&E on community choice programs is also a concern. For example, PG&E forces Community Choice Aggregates to pay a Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, an overcharged “exit fee” to account for customers that move from PG&E’s to Ava Community Energy’s customer base. In addition, we are already charged fees for transmission and distribution. Both of these PG&E charges subsidize the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo. In voting yes, Ava Community Energy would be indirectly subsidizing PG&E's poor energy choices.

There is a long history behind the September 18th nuclear vote. This issue is nothing new: the agency sought to take PG&E’s nuclear power several times in 2020.. In April 2020, most of the Board of Directors sided with the public and rejected the nuclear energy from PG&E. Notably, over 80 members of the public offered comments in opposition to accepting nuclear power. In December 2020, the nuclear power came back for a vote. This time, the Board decided to compromise by selling the nuclear energy on the market despite strong public opposition. However in November 2021, staff admitted they were unable to find buyers. Because of this, staff did not recommend accepting PG&E’s nuclear energy as part of Ava Community Energy’s 2022 carbon-free allocations. Instead, staff recommended only accepting PG&E’s offer of hydroelectricity, which passed by a 10 to 5 vote.