Bay Area’s BART To Be Able To Purchase Clean Energy Directly
Last week the Bay Area Regional Transit system was granted authority to purchase clean energy directly from wholesalers, when California State Senator Mark Leno’s (D-San Francisco) bill SB502 was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (R-CA). The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the measure removes the mandate BART’s Board of Directors had in which they could only purchase electricity from a list of approved suppliers. No third party will be needed in the future to purchase clean energy. BART currently buys power from the Western Area Power Administration and Northern California Power Agency. The 100% electric trains receive 50% of their power from renewable and clean hydroelectric sources. In a statement after the bill’s signing, Leno said, “This bill supports state goals to combat climate change and enables BART to continue providing cost-effective transportation for the Bay Area while increasing the agency’s use of renewable energy.” BART board President Thomas Blalock said, “This legislation will allow us to seek out new sources of clean renewable energy and for suppliers to offer it to us at a good price.”
What This Means For Small Businesses
San Francisco-area small business owners rely on BART to get themselves, their workers, and their customers around the city efficiently and at relatively affordable costs. Though government interference in regulating business decisions can increase costs for the business community, this latest measure may be helpful for BART, and by extension, its customers and the taxpayers who support it, in that it will allow BART’s board to purchase power through wholesale providers at costs that are likely to be lower than they were when going through a third party provider.
Additional Reading
NFIB previously noted clean energy initiatives in California.
Note: this article is intended to keep small business owners up on the latest news. It does not necessarily represent the policy stances of NFIB.
