Redwood Coast Energy Authority
633 3rd Street, Eureka, CA 95501
Phone: (707) 269-1700 Toll-Free (800) 931-7232 Fax: (707) 269-1777 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.redwoodenergy.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Redwood Coast Energy Authority Office March 23, 2023
633 3rd Street, Eureka, CA 95501 Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
Chair Sheri Woo called a regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority to order on the above date at 3:32 p.m. Notice of this meeting was posted on March 17, 2023. PRESENT: Natalie Arroyo (by teleconference due to travel for official Humboldt County business, a just cause, with no one 18 years of age or older present at this remote location), Scott Bauer, Skip Jorgensen, Kris Mobley, Alt. Director Sherri Provolt, Vice Chair Sarah Schaefer, Jack Tuttle, Frank Wilson, Chair Sheri Woo. ABSENT: Frankie Myers, Elise Scafani. STAFF AND OTHERS PRESENT: General Counsel Nancy Diamond; Power Resources Director Richard Engel; Executive Director Matthew Marshall; Board Clerk Lori Taketa; Deputy Executive Director Eileen Verbeck.
REPORTS FROM MEMBER ENTITIES
Director Mobley attended the March Community Advisory Committee meeting and will report on what was discussed at a future Board meeting. Vice Chair Schaefer attended a CivicWell Policymakers Conference and learned about Community Choice Aggregators. Director Arroyo also attended the CivicWell conference and learned about utilities and energy. She invited the community to join the County Board of Supervisors for strategic planning sessions to be held at Benbow KOA. Director Provolt thanked the Board for inviting the Yurok Tribe to join RCEA.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Member of the public Julie Neander asked the directors to consider calling a special meeting and directing staff to send a letter to Wells Fargo expressing concern over the bank’s funding of fossil fuel expansion projects. Directors expressed support for addressing the topic at a future meeting.
CONSENT CALENDAR
4.1 Approve Minutes of
4.1.1 February 23, 2023, Board Meeting, and
4.1.2 March 9, 2023, Board Special Meeting.
4.2 Approve Disbursements Report.
4.3 Accept Financial Reports.
4.4 Reappoint Norman Bell, Catherine Gurin, Christopher Honar, Richard Johnson, Luna Latimer, and Kit Mann to the Community Advisory Committee for Two-Year Terms Ending on March 31, 2025.
4.5 Accept RCEA Supplier Diversity 2022 Annual Report and Plan.
Chair Woo requested that item 4.4 be removed from the consent calendar. No other member of the Board or public requested items to be removed.
RCEA March 23, 2023, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
M/S: Schaefer, Bauer: Approve Consent Calendar items 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.5.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Bauer, Jorgensen, Mobley, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson, Woo. Noes: None. Absent: Scafani. Abstain: Provolt.
REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS
Chair Woo expressed appreciation for the Community Advisory Committee’s work, including technical work. CAC Chair Dennis Leonardi thanked the Board for their comments, which he will share with the committee members. Conversion of one of the CAC’s at-large seats to a Yurok Tribe Director nominee position will be discussed by the Board prior to March 2024.
M/S: Jorgensen, Schaefer: Reappoint Norman Bell, Catherine Gurin, Christopher Honar, Richard Johnson, Luna Latimer, and Kit Mann, to the Community Advisory Committee for Two-Year Terms Ending on March 31, 2025.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Bauer, Jorgensen, Mobley, Provolt, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson, Woo. Noes: None. Absent: Scafani. Abstain: None.
OLD BUSINESS
6.1 Update from the California Fishermen’s Resiliency Association (Information only) RCEA invited the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association to discussions with offshore wind power developers when the idea of Humboldt offshore wind development was first being explored and granted HFMA $10,000 to cover the legal costs of creating the California Fishermen’s Resiliency Association, a single point of contact between fishermen from ports up and down the California coast and offshore wind developers. CFRA’s Ken Bates reported on deliverables for the RCEA and other grants from the state. Mr. Bates described how Association members are witness to climate change impacts and are concerned about losing fishing grounds. He stressed the CFRA is not asking for cash, but to avoid and minimize impacts to the fishing industry. Mr. Bates requested that the RCEA Board write a letter to the California Coastal Commission to quickly form a fishermen’s working group to create offshore wind development rules.
The directors thanked Mr. Bates for his work. Staff stated they will continue to work with the local fishing community. There were no comments from the public on this agenda item.
6.2 RePower Humboldt Strategic Plan Overview of Agency Goals, Current and Upcoming Projects (Information only)
Executive Director Marshall reported on progress made on RCEA strategic plan goals in the areas of Planning and Regional Coordination, Low-Carbon Transportation, Customer Energy Solutions/Demand-Side Management, and Energy Generation and Utility Services. The successful airport microgrid project is being used as a model across the state, and agency partners are pursuing funding for northeast and southern Humboldt microgrid projects.
A request was made to discuss ramifications of making the CCE program’s 100% carbon-free and renewable REpower+ product the default RCEA customer electricity service option.
RCEA March 23, 2023, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
6.3 RCEA Community Advisory Committee Annual Report (information only) Community Advisory Committee Chair Dennis Leonardi reported on the committee’s work over the past year and work goals for the coming year. Mr. Leonardi expressed the need for the community to understand RCEA’s work and to receive accurate information regarding local offshore wind development.
The directors and staff expressed appreciation for the work and technical expertise CAC members are contributing toward the agency’s goals. Staff described how the CAC will be engaged in gathering information on the community’s energy procurement priorities to inform RCEA’s Integrated Resource Plan filing to the CPUC next year.
6.4 Review Board Ad Hoc Subcommittees and Revise Membership Executive Director Marshall described the status of three existing ad hoc Board subcommittees: the Mid-Term Reliability Zero Emission Resources Solicitation Subcommittee, the Nordic Aquafarms Non-Standard Rate Subcommittee, and the Office Relocation Subcommittee. The Directors determined that work by all three subcommittees was still required and that new director members should volunteer to serve on the Nordic Aquafarms Non-Standard Rate Subcommittee when the Nordic Aquafarm development begins determining its electricity supply source.
NEW BUSINESS
7.1 Approve Addition of a Power Resources Specialist Position and Revised Organization Chart
Executive Director Marshall described the need for an additional staff position to assist in fulfilling the growing number of state procurement mandates. There will be no budget impacts this fiscal year due to delays in filling staff vacancies. A limited-term staff member is currently performing many functions the proposed staff position would complete.
M/S: Schaefer, Bauer: Approve Addition of a Power Resources Specialist position and Revised Organizational Chart.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Bauer, Jorgensen, Mobley, Provolt, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson, Woo. Noes: None. Absent: Scafani. Abstain: None.
STAFF REPORTS
8.1 Executive Director’s Report (Information only)
Executive Director Marshall stated that a quorum of the RCEA Board will likely not attend any CORE Hub offshore wind meeting, so no formation of a CORE Hub offshore wind engagement subcommittee was needed. Addressing recent Silicon Valley Bank collapse concerns, Mr. Marshall reported that the majority of RCEA Community Choice Energy banking is done through Umpqua Bank, the most local bank large enough to safely manage the CCE program’s volume of deposits and withdrawals. RCEA maintains a small account with First Republic Bank to satisfy USDA loan requirements. The balance that will be maintained in the account is expected to be around $65,000, well below the FDIC insured limit. RCEA has no relationship with Silicon Valley Bank. RCEA maintains a PG&E escrow RCEA March 23, 2023, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
account with $142,000 with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo is one of a handful of banks capable of fulfilling PG&E requirements for Community Choice Aggregator financial security deposits.
While the CCE program operates, RCEA is required to maintain this escrow account, which may be replaceable should RCEA earn a good credit rating.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
The directors requested:
• Discussion of requesting that Wells Fargo consider divesting from fossil fuel project development at the next RCEA Board meeting,
• A report on a federal grant for offshore wind public engagement in May, • Discussion of REpower+ becoming the default CCE customer service option prior to achieving the 100% clean and renewable portfolio in 2025, and • Discussion with legal counsel about whether County-declared states of emergency can expand Board director remote meeting participation allowances.
CAC Chair Leonardi suggested that the Yurok Tribal Council representatives encourage potential CAC nominees to begin observing committee meetings to familiarize themselves with the agency’s and committee’s work.
Chair Woo adjourned the meeting at 5:33 p.m.
Lori Taketa
Clerk of the Board