Tell State Senator Wiener: Protect Our Power; Stop SB 540!
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Call Script
My name is __________. I live in district 11, and I’m a member of Indivisible SF. Please stop supporting Senate Bill 540, which would irrevocably take away California’s control over where our electricity comes from. Thank you.
Background
Currently, California has its own electrical system operator (CAISO), managing our grid separately from other states, which means we have total control over where our electricity comes from. We control how much is from renewable sources like solar and wind, how much is from nuclear, and how much is from fossil fuels like methane (aka “natural gas”). We decide how much we invest in storage technologies like batteries and hydroelectric. And all of our energy stays right here in California.
Governor Newsom and the electric utilities want to give up California’s control and add more fossil fuels, possibly including coal, used in other states. They’d do this using a move called “grid regionalization”: joining a Regional Organization along with unspecified other states. Once we connect to even a single other state, that’s interstate commerce, which puts us under the jurisdiction of Trump’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Proponents of the bill claim we could back out. First, any argument for a move of this scale that starts with “If it turns out to be a bad idea, then…” is a warning sign. It’s also not true: Exiting the compact would be subject to regulation by FERC, and we can’t imagine Trump’s minions would be interested in letting California return to its renewables commitments if we were to foolishly give them up.
This was a terrible idea back in 2018 and it’s still a terrible idea now. Concerningly, Senator Wiener has actually voted for this bill. He needs to hear from us that his constituents oppose it.
Keep Trump and fossil fuels out of our electrical system. Protect CAISO and our commitments to renewable energy. Stop SB 540.
References
Letter of opposition from 350 Bay Area, Center for Biological Diversity, et al, Apr 15, 2025