IOUs praise California PUC's green light for $2 billion in energy efficiency funds

摘要

California's investor-owned utilities hailed the California Public Utilities Commission's move last week approving about $2 billion in funding for energy efficiency programs from 2006 through 2008, saying the programs may help customers combat soaring natural gas bills this winter. State regulators characterized the decision as "the most ambitious energy efficiency and conservation campaign in the history of the [United States]. Overall, the efficiency programs are expected to cut energy costs by more than $5 billion, eliminate the need to build three large power plants over the next three years, and reduce pollution from global warming by an estimated 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2008. This reduction in emissions is equivalent to taking about 650,000 cars off the road, according to the PUC.