McGeorge Adjunct Professor Chris Micheli outside the California State Capitol

The California Energy Commission, or CEC as it is often referred to as, was established in 1974 by the Warren-Alquist Act in response to the nation’s energy crisis in the early 1970’s. The CEC is charged with leading the state to a 100% clean energy future. It is the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency.

You can find provisions on the CEC in the Public Resources Code, Division 15, Chapter 1. Per Section 25006 of the Public Resources Code, “It’s the policy of the state and the intent of the Legislature to establish and consolidate the state’s responsibility for energy resources, for encouraging, developing, and coordinating research and development into energy supply and demand problems, and for regulating electrical generating and related transmission facilities.”

There are multiple divisions that run the day-to-day operations of the California Energy Commission. They include:

  • the Efficiency Division, which develops regulations, policies, and programs to help the state meet its clean energy goals;
  • the Energy Assessment Division, which forecasts and assesses energy demands and supplies;
  • the Fuels and Transportation Division, which administers the clean transportation program;
  • the Office of Compliance Assistance and Enforcement, which leads the CEC’s efforts to ensure conservation requirements are met;
  • the Public Advisor’s Office, which provides information on how to participate in the business meetings, workshops, and formal proceeding of the CEC;
  • the Renewable Energy Division, which develops and administers the state’s renewable energy programs; and
  • the Siting, Transmission, and Environmental Division, which maintains a staff of experts in more than twenty different engineering and environmental disciplines.

There are extensive provisions in the Public Resources Code related to the CEC. It also oversees loan and grant programs related to energy efficiency as well as more than two dozen specific funding programs.

You can read the transcript of today’s audio here.