Public Policy
Ava’s Public Policy team works to advance legislative and regulatory policies that support the agency’s goal of serving our customers with reliable, clean, and affordable energy.
Policy Priorities
Ava advocates for policies that support five major priorities:
Make Electricity More Affordable
We support policies that lower electricity rates, which in turn reduce the energy burden on households and businesses, and lowers barriers to electrification.
Protect Community Choice
Local control and the autonomy to make decisions that reflect the needs of our customers form the very foundation of community choice aggregation. We support policies that bolster the stability and competitiveness of the community choice model, and oppose policies that undermine Ava’s ability to effectively serve our communities.
Accelerate Decarbonization
Ava takes a whole-of-society approach to address the growing threat of climate change and build healthier, more sustainable communities. We support policies that incentivize and accelerate decarbonization, including those that improve energy efficiency, reduce barriers to clean energy and storage development, and increase the adoption of behind-the-meter distributed energy resources.
Promote Local Development
Decarbonizing our communities should also mean enhancing their environmental and economic resilience. We support policies that empower disadvantaged communities, invest in workforce training programs, and create a cleaner, more robust, and more equitable economy for residents of Ava’s service territory.
Increase Electricity Bill Transparency & Understanding
For many customers, combing through the complex charges, rates, and acronyms on their utility bills each month can be confusing and time-consuming. Ava has made it a priority to support policies that make it easier for customers to understand exactly what they’re paying for and why. We also support increased transparency in the utility ratemaking process so that customers can meaningfully participate in decisions affecting their daily lives.
How Ava Engages with Policymakers
The legislature creates laws, while regulatory agencies generally create the rules for how laws will be applied. For example, the California legislature passed legislation to enable the state to run a “Cap and Invest” carbon emissions trading program. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), the state agency responsible for regulating greenhouse gas emissions, created the regulations necessary for entities to comply with the Cap and Invest trading program.
As an electricity provider, Ava is impacted by both legislation and regulations, and is therefore interested in advancing policies in each area that align with the principles outlined above.
We track, analyze, and engage in both legislation and regulatory proceedings to secure outcomes that support our goals. At the state level, we engage with the California legislature in Sacramento, the Governor’s office, and various state agencies like the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Energy Commission (CEC), and the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). At the national level, we engage with the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., and at relevant federal agencies like the Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Legislative Advocacy
The Ava Board of Directors adopted a Legislative Platform to guide Ava’s advocacy in Sacramento and Washington. With that platform in mind, the Ava Board takes formal positions (Support, Oppose, Support if Amended, Oppose Unless Amended) on priority bills that have the most direct impact on Ava, our operations, and our customers. We typically adopt positions on 10-15 bills each year.
View the table under Our Work for a complete list of legislation on which Ava has adopted a position.
Regulatory Advocacy
After a law is passed, agencies such as the CPUC, CEC, CARB, and FERC are responsible for creating regulations that implement the law’s requirements. When designing regulations, state agencies provide public processes, known as regulatory proceedings, for gathering and incorporating input from stakeholders. Our team participates in these proceedings to advocate for fair and effective regulations on behalf of our customers.
Our Work
Advice Letters
One of the primary ways in which Ava demonstrates compliance with CPUC requirements is through Advice Letters. View the full list of Ava’s Advice Letter filings dating back to the agency’s incorporation.
Ava California Legislative Tracking
Policy Reports & Insights
Partners
Ava is a member of the California Community Choice Association (CalCCA), the trade association representing CCA interests in California on behalf of its 24 CCA members. At the national level, Ava is a member of the Community Choice Energy Alliance (CCEA), which advocates on behalf of active CCA programs across eight states. Ava also partners with a broader universe of stakeholder groups to advance policies that promote equitable electric vehicle adoption, decarbonization, and access to clean, affordable electricity for all.
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