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Transition Sonoma Valley Supports Sonoma Clean Power

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Submitted

Dear Editor:
The 650 or so folks around town who support Transition Sonoma Valley take very seriously the threats to our community from climate change, the end of cheap oil, and the instability of our globalized financial system. Nearly all of us would prefer to have an option to choose the lowest-carbon power mix we can afford — All the better if we can generate more of this clean power ourselves, reduce our dependence on remote suppliers, and create good new local jobs in the process. Sonoma Clean Power promises to do all of this. We applaud Councilmembers Rouse and Barbose for their optimism and for their early willingness to risk giving us this choice.

Still, some of us share Councilmember Cook’s skepticism that a government startup can buy power more cost effectively than a business with over a hundred years of experience. We respect this point of view. But we also take comfort in knowing that if it’s correct, then PG&E is likely already preparing to make us an even better, cleaner offer. We’re eager to see that too.

Even so, we appreciate that Councilmember Cook and Mayor Brown didn’t just rubber stamp this thing at its first reading. Instead both took a critical stance, while allowing Santa Rosa’s due diligence deliberations to run their course. We believe this signal from Sonoma helped motivate the County to negotiate and specify many commitments that will improve program governance for the benefit of all. So we thank you both for this.

Now that more constituents have weighed in, and the Santa Rosa City Council has voted unanimously to join, we expect your support for Sonoma Clean Power too. We hope that Councilmember Cook and Mayor Brown will reconsider your earlier statements and both join with the rest of the Council to vote in favor of expanding choice here in the City of Sonoma.

Thank You Sincerely,

Transition Sonoma Valley

(A version of this letter will be presented at the July 15 City Council meeting.)

Tom Conlon
Sonoma




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA