BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES
Wharfinger Building, Great Room July 24, 2025
1 Marina Way, Eureka, CA 95501 Thursday, 3:30 p.m.
Vice Chair Sheri Woo called a 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 July 18, 2025.
PRESENT: Natalie Arroyo (left at 5:12 p.m.), Carlos Diaz, Skip Jorgensen, Jason Ramos (left at 5:11 p.m.), Elise Scafani, Sarah Schaefer, Jack Tuttle, Frank Wilson, Vice Chair Sheri Woo. ABSENT: Chair Scott Bauer, Michael Gerace.
STAFF AND OTHERS PRESENT: Business Planning and Finance Director Lori Biondini, Executive Director Elizabeth Burks, Regulatory and Legislative Policy Manager Faith Carlson, General Counsel Nancy Diamond, Power Resources Director Richard Engel, Board Clerk Lori Taketa, Deputy Executive Director Eileen Verbeck. PRESENTERS: CalCCA Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel Evelyn Kahl and Senior Market Policy Analyst Lauren Carr (remote); NewGen Strategies and Solutions Project Manager Scott Burnham and Assistant Project Manager Carlo Bencomo-Jasso (remote); The Energy Authority California Account Director Jaclyn Harr (remote); Humboldt Transit Authority Transit Planner Jerome Qiriazi.
REPORTS FROM MEMBER ENTITIES
Director Arroyo participated in RCEA and Schatz Energy Research Center’s battery storage community conversation and praised staff for their work.
ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There were no public comments on non-agenda items.
CONSENT CALENDAR
4.1 Approve Minutes of June 26, 2025, Board Meeting.
4.2 Accept Disbursements Report for May 2025, and Financial Reports for This Fiscal Year Through May 2025.
RCEA July 24, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
4.3 Award Design-Build Agreement to Stephens Electrical to Perform Design-Build Services for the Energy Resilience at Rural Fire Stations Project for a Not to Exceed Value of $1,700,000 through December 31, 2026, and Authorize the Executive Director to Execute All Applicable Documents.
4.4 Receive Federal Activity Report.
4.5 Award a Professional Services Agreement to Sacramento Municipal Utilities District to Perform the Northern Rural Energy Network Commercial Energy Assessment for a Not to Exceed Value of $187,610 and Authorize the Executive Director to Execute All Applicable Documents.
No director nor member of the public requested discussion of any consent calendar item.
M/S: Schaefer, Ramos: Approve Consent Calendar items.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Diaz, Jorgensen, Ramos, Scafani, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson, Woo. Noes: None. Absent: Bauer, Gerace. Abstain: None.
COMMUNITY CHOICE ENERGY (CCE) BUSINESS – Vice Chair Woo confirmed that a CCE quorum was present.
NEW CCE BUSINESS
8.1 California Community Choice Association (CalCCA) Presentation on Electricity Market Regionalization: the Pathways Initiative and SB 540
Regulatory and Legislative Policy Manager Carlson described how RCEA works with CalCCA to advocate RCEA’s Policy Platform issues. CalCCA Chief Policy Officer and General Counsel Kahl and Senior Market Policy Analyst Carr described efforts at the state legislature to regionalize California’s electricity market. RCEA’s policy platform does not currently include this issue.
Regionalization’s benefits include affordability, reliability and reduced climate impacts. The West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative is only concerned with the California Independent System Operator’s electricity energy market rule-making function. CAISO would still control the non-electricity market functions of operating the transmission grid, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would continue to approve or reject energy market rule changes.
California Public Utilities Commission and other state governing bodies would still control retail rate setting and policy decisions such as greenhouse gas target setting. RCEA has minimal exposure to the sometimes-volatile day-ahead energy market, which the Pathways Initiative should ameliorate.
The directors clarified that while new federal policy allows for more coal energy production, California load-serving entities cannot enter into long-term coal power purchase agreements.
No member of the public commented on this topic.
M/S: Schaefer, Arroyo: Adopt CalCCA recommended position on SB 540.
RCEA July 24, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Diaz, Jorgensen, Scafani, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson. Noes: None. Absent: Bauer, Gerace. Abstain: None. Non-Voting: Ramos, Woo.
8.2 2025 California Summer Market Conditions Assessment The Energy Authority (TEA) California Account Director Harr reported that the state has adequate power supply for this summer, the year’s most challenging electricity reliability period. Warmer than normal temperatures are expected, however, and concerning events could still occur in September. RCEA is well-protected from 2025 summer emergency heat event price spikes through its long-term contracts. Ms. Harr described RCEA and TEA summer emergency preparation work done, and ongoing new project grid interconnection and other policy challenges and changes. No member of the public commented on this topic.
M/S: Schaefer, Scafani: Accept 2025 California Summer Market Conditions Assessment.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Diaz, Jorgensen, Scafani, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson. Noes: None. Absent: Bauer, Gerace. Abstain: None. Non-Voting: Ramos, Woo.
NEW BUSINESS
10.1 Humboldt Transit Authority Hydrogen Fuel Project Presentation (Information only) Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA) Transit Planner Qiriazi reported on the agency’s work to transition its bus fleet from fossil fuels to hydrogen and to build a hydrogen fueling station at the corner of V and 1st Streets. The station will service HTA buses and help other local heavy fleet owners, such as sanitation companies, test vehicles. Hydrogen buses can service both HTA’s long-distance rural and long operational hour routes more reliably than battery electric buses.
HTA will phase out its gasoline, diesel and battery electric buses by 2040. The goal of this work is to catalyze a regional hydrogen market and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The directors discussed how hydrogen fuel is currently made using natural gas and transported to Humboldt County on diesel trucks. The fuel will eventually be made using renewable energy and transported with zero-emission vehicles and/or be produced locally so it will make possible near-zero carbon emission transportation. There were no comments from the public.
10.2 Cost-of-Service Electricity Rate Setting Design Contract Award Director of Business Planning and Finance Biondini described how a recent lawsuit inspired by Proposition 26 is leading many community choice aggregators to move toward setting electricity rates based on the cost of providing electricity service, rather than solely based on a discount from the local investor-owned utility’s rates as RCEA currently does. Representatives from NewGen Strategies and Solutions, the company selected by staff through a recent request for proposals, described their work plan to produce a defensible cost of service and rate plan study.
RCEA July 24, 2025, Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
The directors expressed concern should the study’s proposed rates be higher than PG&E’s rates and the need to educate the public about the valuable services RCEA provides to its customers and community. Staff explained that the Board has decision-making authority about RCEA’s programs and services, how aggressively renewable RCEA’s energy portfolio is, and how quickly to build the agency’s reserves. The public can also express their needs and priorities when RCEA revises its strategic plan.
Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities and RCEA Community Advisory Committee member Colin Fiske, commenting as a member of the public, stated that ambitious emissions reduction goals were a core reason for creating RCEA and asked that equitable rate setting support these goals.
M/S: Schaefer, Wilson: Award Professional Services Agreement with NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC, for a not-to-exceed value of $116,900 for cost of service and rate design services through July 2026 and authorize the Executive Director to execute the agreement and all associated documents.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ayes: Arroyo, Diaz, Jorgensen, Ramos, Scafani, Schaefer, Tuttle, Wilson, Woo. Noes: None. Absent: Bauer, Gerace. Abstain: None.
STAFF REPORTS
11.1 Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Burks reported on the well-attended RCEA-Schatz Energy Research Center Battery Energy Storage workshop. Ms. Burks listed many upcoming events in which RCEA will participate to promote community awareness of RCEA’s services. Staff will hold a workshop to gauge interest in local small-scale bioenergy project development involving forestry byproducts, food waste digesters or methane from wastewater treatment.
The CADEMO loan committee approved: making a short-term loan to the CADEMO Corporation through December 12, 2025; the escrow vehicle; and authorized the Executive Director to execute the final short-term agreement with the CADEMO Corporation. RCEA and CADEMO are negotiating the final loan terms. There were no public comments on this report.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Director Tuttle requested a presentation on virtual power plants at Humboldt County resilience areas such as around grocery stores.
Vice Chair Woo adjourned the meeting at 5:31 p.m.
Lori Taketa
Board Clerk