[Summit] New electricity program

Tue Mar 14 20:34:52 UTC 2023

<https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/atcYNHk4Eh2YdGnwBh-YDDqLrC5dAJ2AJEZVdKq-LEvmvlh8JPdwzZSkltqkg4bSqW0rm3szPCHFwathBtFau4olUbtylp89IWBz6ig7OMH7A7NGK0hHkFe9nGZvebR1Lc9T0nXZ1p8i8jE0oyigtguOI9nlZT4JvgUCMtM2_C_RIXBO074Ap_dPj4wQtaDU6lgTZJJ09LglBEhwXAKwGIxEysAJ6Hw04aOEMKnoXUZPvkO8_c8SasaePGQg0EBEk5Fb-HxSEb73co18INJlJC76Gis3VkqpPC4zwIurRDl9t00hh0T3smHhajKslxlJQfSddJf0Yx-T2qOyUqCohA/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h0/9luVlIsAkOxluYTEWPA_hf7vgAP41u89_nMskiWuQic>

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

I hope that this note finds you well - staying safe and dry during today's
Nor'Easter.

I know that many residents have questions and concerns about the new
electricity program that was recently announced, so I wanted to share some
information. I also want to be clear that I have been - and am still - very
excited and supportive of this program!  If you have emailed me a question,
I will respond to everyone individually as well.

To view this newsletter online, check out: https://www.sueanderbois.com/news

*Community Choice Aggregation:*

*What is Community Choice Aggregation?*

Providence Community Electricity is Providence's new electricity program.
It is our city's version of "Community Choice Aggregation". For a higher
level, but still very accurate explanation - Alex Kuffner's Providence
Journal Story
<https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/atcYNHk4Eh2YdGnwBh-YDDwMWT5ZHrko7nzzGouSGh1DYggShL-KR7rThFMpQyr-qwrpbELkvleqpZoeR7jEB8lf_iNFrTLtAolZGOm7u05PalioDSX5M7GNy4i-cDSp_vhMHI5_muELmJxC3g269mX81kkJmWuKmqkY-rsfi8_dYTRT9Li1KiLF-TmOkIaeXN73kJMCqtBRxpuqrgYC-24S-pMWrjJbmIgG--O2dKCxVT8F9DV-RxMeW26QkFpKAbOeVA0Rg5D2-yrFJirxw1CThGMyQpFwBqL4QDnvrnizG0Uy_UIGmiOhoKch8TE5X1khuEJxO02TwkKjNLJqNAELXZkidkk_ib8BMOeWDyTLLK6MuRE7IEx1_CNA3Xi_2POzHbhtwgV8Y_PA8chtGSxAWsRQFK41AF-hg-N-ESwPLd78Ri98-fzVYRB1nzrgWotoLiALLTmmkvrjE8hosyurR9ON-35on3j4efHb15U2z73pvrQsn2v5WD5E8wI3/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h1/f8LYFwEub3hHJT2KK5u6tbt065WxEUoNjsU0gEe4bB4>
was
excellent.

First it's helpful to know a little bit about your electric bill. Electric
bills in Rhode Island are split into two sections: a) the charges related
to the distribution of electricity (this generally pays for the upkeep of
the poles and wires, which are owned and operated by Rhode Island Energy)
and b) charges related to the generation of electricity (these are called
"supply charges").  Most residents in Providence use the default 'supply'
for their electricity, which is procured by Rhode Island energy and
approved every 6 months by the Public Utilities Commission. RI law does
allow for residents to purchase their 'supply' from competitive third-
party companies, but for many reasons most people stick with the default
option. Regardless of who you choose for 'supply', your bill arrives each
month from RI Energy.

Community Choice Aggregation allows municipalities like Providence to
collectively purchase this "supply" on behalf of all residents in the
competitive market, which can allow for higher levels of local clean energy
and lower prices. The program allows us to be more nimble than the utility
and take advantage of better rates and cleaner options for our residents.
You will still continue to receive one electricity bill a month - and it
will still be from Rhode Island Energy.

6 other towns in Rhode Island are currently going through the same process,
and more than 50 towns in Massachusetts have similar programs.

*How and Why was this program created?*

The RI General Assembly passed legislation modeled after successful
programs in other states to enable this program. In 2019, Councilwoman
Helen Anthony sponsored the ordinance that enabled Providence to
participate.  At the time, I was Chair of the Providence Sustainability
Commission. I partnered with Councilwoman Anthony and assisted this process
by holding the public hearing on this ordinance through our Commission in
the spring of 2020. Because of the pandemic, the public hearing was on
Zoom, and we had a lot of good testimony and questions from residents
across the City.

The dual goals of the program are to procure additional amounts of clean
electricity for Providence residents while also reducing and smoothing out
electricity costs. These goals were built into the program design.  The
program was reviewed and approved by the Public Utilities Committee. The
City underwent a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to identify a
consultant who could help manage this program through a standard
competitive bid process.

*Am I Enrolled Automatically?*

Most residents will be enrolled in the program automatically. If this is
the case for you, you would have received a letter in the mail within the
last few days describing the program.

However, residents are able to opt-out at any point in this process and
return to the standard offer service through RI Energy. You are under no
obligation to stay in this program.

*Where Can I Get More Information?*

   - The City has created a website of information about the program, which
   you can access at https://electricity.providenceri.gov/
   - March 20th at 5:30pm: The Sustainability Commission will have time in
   their monthly meeting to address questions and concerns. You can attend in
   person in Room 312 of City Hall or online at:
   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85683012296
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/mRNLFKyANPYkYXuUTzk_S8eGCfMPKtWt9Y6VsHU6KpeTyTXCKZvj8tnNdT7TOPDxt9WVN4VeuMaoQ4zAfXJVMxN9NnbxBFp8H7SLQ293UeZiZYhMoSgPri0zBDccCpyWeOC4slI33LqPfJF8aHsrD84QcYO1Xm2tY25kd3d2Dr0P07xGlI0E07Y4HgNmioSdJp9eZbM8BmasRs6yDgEXG8JddKj7lHsshndxEwweP74R3IdY5rjs3_X863Qy6DPX2z3rA4AsOlo6cwzhweT68-rDyZc8d1DzA9cYA2qNqCjy7wPxCDMZLUGTlnjOf1Sww-zcvU-7oQ2CAjHC5-08eg/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h2/2uL81x1olKjlILOsYfKE9VdOD5d4SzIowkJ3_trLasY>
   - March 27th at 6pm:  The Mayor's team will be holding a community
   meeting to answer questions on the program. It can be accessed at the Zoom
   link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84119813584
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/mRNLFKyANPYkYXuUTzk_S8eGCfMPKtWt9Y6VsHU6KpeBCzwllogE-vXAX069KzOhdpPMjarMu6YWVpEI4eQcEdehYyFuFHYhlAKeQs-X54unQq3fZwdt4mNzyIbX_a5ifhSk-BhCUIN1hxZiNFBQhN7m11dWbaSR_iis4-SqMk2KoGioZzfz-F0rGk9LjwE0Te-PL6t53Ec-qteFyagiZSgAf7awftixtByuhEmJvMqfz8x0SePhfM8xsJXYMNgiTalHyEx_Rz4Qsxu5hUZt0rO_sgKUj9hvTK63rdP8MQNUUOa7q4yutGc5o685GHc4qWMQM1WkOzA7zOcUaI108g/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h3/3nwflfxpq1o8HKUz_LUfGyxedqC0bEemV0BtGtrWYfk>
   - April 6th at 7pm: I arranged for a Q&A session for our community with
   the City's Consultant on this program and the City's Acting Director of
   Sustainability.  This can be accessed at this Zoom Link:
   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89954580632
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/mRNLFKyANPYkYXuUTzk_S8eGCfMPKtWt9Y6VsHU6KpdGF0k_Kng7TVlSBXYEKFkbZ5ukBdMTRDplyUXxMjjWzrAGwj5FbiqUwMsMF8EKJ91-ttlLiagzncwqS9VNBCdh44uCpolKDomG3tviv0exrVm88AiK2S94TqaLMkYLga3eoUhGFKmUEhpz4MWNl71vSRE2UDlAamkc3LU_4Paxt_2zK7oZbYpfrL6hwhr27cmEkOYIY0rvP8eb7y9gTHH2-vAcnNKA23EM6ypE2PE1pjqvdnvedyCnWgboqvoP4YWI5BJDc44DLInchhd1RvkYPvEXhgBhXg4i3_O21rmO5A/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h4/FXiCRpMirzQBFoBYh_X6EScEeGt0cfvYe-G52fZZyO8>
   -
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/mRNLFKyANPYkYXuUTzk_S8eGCfMPKtWt9Y6VsHU6KpdGF0k_Kng7TVlSBXYEKFkbOf3ZU_Hptw-Z-0rPgR__IuciemlYPiAK3_1uwb_NJRoamT2IvNSoIIjqmgo5bs_7u3_NClMRKPlEbuU_rnSH8pZHQ0BhhWdQUPg3HLaX-laShRSrhbmgRVxN2wrYCAqOy4FASfYewDRDTbkQIMOu-713iM_Fn9zz3XADYQbu74yqJJSmRBmedp6Ri5gWKfj3ADrZTTh5RmQ1ynm77Dx_yn5Arm0BHPjdaWg0M_mN5wA0y2RfR3Lcugr-lJsIyMEDGNh1R8fuEEdSQvsUfC6NiA/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h5/uV79AS_6FBZ7UwBRn3JyhZhfHvwLPGdrBrqoHFvMM2E>I
   will be sharing more information via my social media through Facebook
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/atcYNHk4Eh2YdGnwBh-YDPAZiEt8wwS6hp5wOIb3CiI-qL2uA84DS8Y7sdkkSMmAKVQ3eatkEu_v56jUkaQIdqk-ORjrxSJ_g7jFq6fn2_nBxY-5makFAn_iQ8BGEv4Aqzc4jZQtjUOf5z6WDel7PKqW9mue4fnXL8stovPnBfRB-k7ZqpfrrR5OW1WS6ZWvyQFQTZ-4NDONJQ28q-DujebQ-pMiU7nIK4wDDO22s0XC0XHCq2POqhgvnL94aejMMw-d4dMXpvkMca7XjA097BpNwc7kJx5B3h3V6qW8Jv_g_Ue1fvLIZSf4X8c4zudrorvHxeo9KbHgS3p7LdBElA/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h6/ilAPPctuyiuzFSPe8KQNfa0oPXbng6ZUUbxFw0i3tvs>
    and Instagram
   <https://url1005.email.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/atcYNHk4Eh2YdGnwBh-YDE-osrDsyUs4KS0eRiq-k7RrkTjrq0CC35XMRDYE644twBHdF8mpHzu386yyy02SzfmMEivNtPM8pREKVJQBz1-KxkwDDSSm8of9ERqEsswVyUTxNBVwXo3jQE5qEg-oRFDXWWg2uokTatuPp_zSpBUhnDvgmBN4J7KiVK04et7dWrJJFBefpdpPXzssMotm7zsHYSDdzIkcH4xdjLzfoFjeOYxJ5Y6V6NGiX3bIPDzUQfObXkiX9mgON3YgfM-pFDrCrM5fMhxi6bl348Lrm3f7E8SGrwIMp4dIhD_nB_QhaaeytCiqdwa3zJDNA4NXmTnRh0GH8yDJlANArK5dfAA/3uh/4o09VQzWShG9CjeBedDxOw/h7/e_W_j9_XtxwwnHP7Sddfj4d5AOmxqWVGlhYqZnjZPpE>
   .
   - Please reach out directly to me any time, and I am happy to answer any
   questions. If you've already emailed me and have not yet received a reply -
   please know I will respond back ASAP: I have received a very high volume of
   questions about this program and want to respond to each of you thoroughly.

*What is the TL;DR? (Too Long; Didn't Read):*

Providence is implementing a program that will help keep electric prices
low and competitive while investing in more clean energy. It was fully
vetted by both the City Council and the Public Utilities Commission. The
program is entirely voluntary for residents, and you can opt out at any
time.

Thank you everyone! Please be in touch any time.

With Deep Gratitude,

Councilwoman Sue AnderBois

On Tue, Mar 14, 2023 at 3:13 PM Sue Chartier <smchartier143 at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Can someone forward the letter from Sue Anderbois please.
>
> Susan Chartier
>
> On Mar 14, 2023, at 2:09 PM, Art Norwalk <art at norwalkcom.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Sue's letter is very good but very late. If the city and the Florida power
> company didn't want PVD folks to get upset, they would have sent this kind
> of information in advance of their incomprehensible letter. The reactions
> we're seeing are the direct result of either incompetent or deliberately
> deceptive communications. The program may be great but they've got a lot of
> work ahead to make folks trust them.
>
> -- Art
>
> On Tue, Mar 14, 2023 at 1:46 PM Ben Prentice <benprentice28 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I strongly encourage everyone to read your elected counsel person, Sue
>> Anderbois’ newsletter, describing how this program came about, its merits,
>> and your options, before getting upset without having enough information to
>> make a rational decision, one way or the other, for whatever best suits
>> your household.
>>
>> Ben
>> --
>> "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde
>> _______________________________________________
>> Summit mailing list
>> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
>> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
>> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Summit mailing list
> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>
>
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