If you thought the collapse of Enron marked the end of Sacramento’s energy scams, you’d be mistaken

Gov. Jerry Brown is delaying a bid to link California’s largest electricity grid with one that operates in five other Western states, slowing a proposal that his administration favored as a way to shrink the costs of hitting his renewable energy mandate.

Brown sent letters on Monday to legislative leaders announcing that he wanted state agencies to take more time studying whether California’s Independent System Operator should link with the multistate grid managed by Oregon-based PacifiCorp.

Some advocates for the proposal had been urging lawmakers to approve the expansion before the end of the state’s legislative session this month. The ISO reaches about 80 percent of Californians through Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.

The plan met resistance from groups that feared California would inadvertently support PacifiCorp coal-fired plants by connecting with the company, as well as from public utilities who worried they’d be forced to pay higher fees to move power on transmission lines owned by the larger grid.

Source: The Sacramento Bee

More Bad News for Big Oil: Rising Levels of Toxic Gas Found in Homes Near Fracking Sites

Levels of radon, a cancer-causing, radioactive gas, have been rising measurably in Pennsylvania since the controversial practice of fracking started there, researchers reported Thursday.

The study cannot directly link fracking with the raised radon levels. But whatever is going on, residents need to be aware of the rising levels of the gas and take action to get it out of their homes, the researchers say.

Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., killing an estimated 21,000 people a year. The odorless, invisible gas is produced naturally from many types of rocks, and many people who have bought or sold a home will be familiar with the radon test on the basement or ground floor.

Pennsylvania has notoriously high levels of radon, and Joan Casey of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and colleagues set out to assess all the different sources of radon on Pennsylvania homes over time.

via Rising Levels of Toxic Gas Found in Homes Near Fracking Sites – NBC News.

Billionaire activist Tom Steyer testifies for sweeping climate bill

A far-ranging climate change measure cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, as billionaire environmental benefactor Tom Steyer appeared at the Capitol to trumpet the bill’s economic benefits.

The measure, by Sens. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), is the most complex of the four pieces of climate change legislation introduced by Senate Democrats and it contains some of the most far-reaching objectives set by Gov. Jerry Brown in his inaugural address in January.

Tom Steyer vs. the Koch brothers: 2014’s ‘radical’ political bogeymen

Steyer, who sat alongside De Leon at the Senate energy committee hearing, said the sweeping proposal “dramatically reshapes California’s economy and breaks the stranglehold of fossil fuels to the benefit of all Californians.”

via Billionaire activist Tom Steyer testifies for sweeping climate bill – LA Times.

Some interesting energy forecasts from BP

This edition updates BP’s view of the likely path of global energy markets to 2035. We make assumptions on changes in policy, technology and the economy, based on extensive internal and external consultations, using a range of analytical tools to build a single “most likely” view.

The Outlook highlights the continuous change in the energy system – the changing fuel mix, the changing patterns of trade – as it adapts to meet the world’s growing energy needs. It also highlights the challenge of delivering energy supplies which are sustainable, secure and affordable. The Outlook emphasizes the role of competition and market forces in driving technology and innovation to help us meet that challenge.

via Energy Outlook 2035 – BP Global.