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Will closing Diablo Canyon spur more CA fossil fuel use?

In June, when Pacific Gas & Electric announced that it would close the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant near San Luis Obispo, the giant utility service in Central and Northern California won enthusiastic media coverage. The PG&E announcement was called “a

CalPERS has faith in imperiled energy status quo

Chris Reed March 28, 2016

Is the California Public Employees’ Retirement System about to make another big mistake with a mistimed investment strategy, this time in the industrial solar sector? Beginning 13 years ago, CalPERS invested heavily in real estate at the height of the

CA solar plans snarled by controversy

James Poulos December 4, 2015

In the California desert and in solar-paneled neighborhoods around the state, a new conflict over alternative energy has broken out. Pitting lawmakers, regulators, customers and the solar power industry against one another, the dispute centered around how much solar users ought

Politics of CA solar power getting messier

Chris Reed September 9, 2015

The standard narrative of solar power in California has long been that it’s a wonderful idea that everyone should embrace, a view touted by Democratic governors and Republican governors alike for nearly a quarter-century. But as CalWatchdog reported last week,

Wyoming hopes to help CA meet renewable energy goal

Chris Reed August 30, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s announcement at his January “State of the State” speech that he wanted California to have 50 percent of its electricity generated from renewable sources by 2030 won applause from environmentalists around the nation and strong support from

CA geothermal power dreams appear dashed

Chris Reed August 2, 2015

Geothermal power had a huge year in 2014 — in Kenya, Turkey, Ethiopia and Germany. But in all of the U.S., according to a Geothermal Energy Association report, total power generated by geothermal was less then 3 gigawatts for the year

Poll: 64% of Californians link drought to global warming

Chris Nichols July 30, 2015

A strong majority of Californians say they support tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions and more ambitious renewable energy goals to combat climate change, according to a statewide poll released late Wednesday. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said global

CA regulators debut new energy rules

James Poulos June 19, 2015

Placing a big bet on solar power and new regulations, state officials have rolled out ambitious new requirements aimed at slashing energy use in newly-constructed homes. “Buildings built in California starting in 2016 will have to comply with the nation’s toughest

Rising electric rates spark CA fight

James Poulos June 1, 2015

A new plan under consideration by the state Public Utilities Commission has Californians up in arms over the prospect of higher rates for less electricity usage. Dueling schemes “Under the current rules, homes served by Southern California Edison pay higher prices

VIDEO: Republicans can be environmentalists, too

CalWatchdog Staff April 29, 2015

In a conversation with CalWatchdog.com Editor Brian Calle, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer discusses the importance of preserving the environment and why it should not be a partisan issue. During the interview, Mayor Faulconer highlights the environment as our quality