Brown

A new climate change law (SB 350) dealing with building efficiencies and renewable energy was signed into law Wednesday by California Gov. Jerry Brown, who had suggested more sweeping legislation but settled for something less.

While making little mention of energy, except for renewables, and totally ignoring hydraulic fracturing (fracking), California Gov. Jerry Brown left no doubt in his state-of-the-state speech Monday that climate change will continue to dominate in his unprecedented fourth four-year term as governor. He called for dramatic increases in renewable energy use.

Rejecting urgings from environmental groups to veto the bill, California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed into law new regulations (SB 4) for hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but with the caveat that he intends to work on amendments next year to fine tune the requirements.

California Gov. Jerry Brown last Friday signed a bill (AB 1694) into law that is aimed at improving safety of the historically lightly regulated natural gas and propane distribution piping systems at mobile home parks in the state.

The last of Gov. Jerry Brown’s three appointments to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Mark Ferron, won confirmation from the California Senate to a six-year term that began last year. The five-member CPUC now has a full complement of regulators. Ferron, a former investment banker with Deutsche Bank, Salomon Brothers and Bank of America, brings a financial background to the regulatory panel. Prior to his appointment, Ferron was a senior partner at Silicon Valley Social Ventures and a board fellow of the New Teacher Center.

With the start of winter only weeks away and as state agencies prepare their energy assistance programs, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) led 33 senators in calling for the Obama administration to quickly release funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

The grass has long since turned brown in Texas, with many residents now restricted as to when they can water lawns. However, in most cases municipal water curtailments have yet to reach levels that affect water takes by contract users, such as oil and gas producers.

The grass has long since turned brown in Texas, with many residents now restricted as to when they can water lawns. However, in most cases municipal water curtailments have yet to reach levels that affect water takes by contract users, such as oil and gas producers.

Gov. Jerry Brown has tapped an obscure and unfilled appointee position at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to add a special advisor to the mix of five governor-appointed state regulators to push along some his own pet distributed and solar energy initiatives. Jeanne Clinton, a manager in the CPUC’s Climate Strategies Branch, was appointed special advisor for energy efficiency, renewables and distributed generation. Clinton has worked in high-level energy policymaking positions in the state government since 2001. In addition to working with the five commissioners, Clinton will interface with the CPUC energy division and its office of government affairs, as well as other departments and agencies in state government. The appointment does not require state Senate confirmation as do the five CPUC commissioner positions.