The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion to launch a “Green Power” initiative offering businesses and residents ways to reduce greenhouse gases and potentially reduce their bills beginning in 2018.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl (center) was joined by supporters at a press conference on Tuesday announcing the “Green Power” initiative.
(photo courtesy of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl’s Office)

The initiative supports programs known as “Community Choice Aggregation” (CCA), which offer electricity customers new energy options – often at lower rates than what’s offered by their local utility. CCAs allow municipal and county governments to purchase electricity in the wholesale power market and sell it to residents and businesses as an alternative to electricity provided by a utility.

CCA electricity rates are often as much as 5 percent lower for homeowners and businesses than the rates offered by investor-owned utilities. With a CCA, consumers can also help increase the amount of clean energy used in their communities, thereby helping meet or exceed state and national clean energy goals.

Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio have established CCAs and have found they create jobs in local, renewable power. CCAs also lead to the development of green energy projects such as solar canopies in urban parking lots.

“With this ‘Green Power’ motion, the county is kicking off an initiative that will help protect the environment and create jobs in a new green economy,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, 3rd District, who authored the motion. “We are thrilled that cities within the county are already expressing interest in signing on. This Earth Day, while Washington is gleefully slashing environmental protections and further jeopardizing the future of the planet, we in L.A. County are moving in a visionary new direction.”

Supervisor and board chair Mark Ridley-Thomas, 2nd District, co-authored the motion.

“Community Choice Aggregation is a game changer for Los Angeles County,” Ridley-Thomas said. “It will allow us to procure and create new sources of green energy, thereby creating local jobs and leaving more money in our ratepayers’ wallets. In the face of perilous national scrutiny over climate change, it is critical that local governments continue to lead the way in producing a cleaner and greener future.”