Southern California Edison (SCE) has recently announced that a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is possible for some Santa Barbara County areas starting Friday, due to high wind conditions. The length of the outages is currently unknown and depends on weather conditions. Santa Barbara county urges residents, for all PSPS events, to be prepared for […]
PG&E
The Resource Adequacy Hurdle to 100% Renewable Energy
By Robert Perry, Director of Research Over the years, I’ve written about Santa Barbara County’s energy resiliency issues, particularly for communities along the coastline in the Southern California Edison (SCE) service territory. I’ve also decried SCE’s antiquated Request for Offer (RFO) process that no longer works in a time when energy procurement means building hundreds […]
Stop the PG&E Bailout Bonds
Call to Action! Dear Academy Supporters, The World Business Academy strongly opposed AB 1054, the utility bailout rushed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which strengthens the state’s monopoly on utilities at the expense of all California ratepayers, Community Choice programs, and democratic due process. Now there is a proposed extension to pay for PG&E’s […]
Santa Barbara County Votes to Join Central Coast CCA: Now What?
By Robert Perry, Director of Research On June 16th, the County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to participate in the Monterey Bay Community Power Authority (MBCPA), Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program. Following years of deliberation and analysis concerning the feasibility of forming its own CCA, the vote could lead to the inclusion of Santa […]
PG&E’s Bankruptcy Filing: An Opportunity for Energy Democratization
By Robert Perry, Director of Energy Research Everyone is buzzing about the implications of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) declaring bankruptcy. When the news broke last week, PG&E’s stock fell 52%, only to bounce back by 75% when California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection determined that private electrical equipment was responsible for starting the […]
Wildfires Tell Us We Already Live in a Climate-Changed World
Once again, California is up in flames. It’s beginning to look like a recurring seasonal phenomena much like hurricane or tornado season in the Southeast and Midwest. The Camp Fire is currently the deadliest wildfire in California’s recorded history at 81 deaths (with ~870 persons still missing). We can only pray that another massive fire […]
California Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case
The California Supreme Court last week refused to hear the World Business Academy’s case against the State Lands Commission. This decision, while disappointing, doesn’t detract from the strong legal arguments presented in the case, and we are confident they will someday become law — protecting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We urge you to […]
Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant: A Major Risk to the Central Coast of California
Dr. Jerry B. Brown, Director of the World Business Academy’s Safe Energy Project explains the critical threats and ongoing harm to the residents of California’s central coast posed by the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The health study released by the Academy examines the increased rate of cancer in zip codes down wind of the […]
The Academy’s Nuclear Power Health Impact Study
Update (April 30, 2014): The San Luis Obispo Health Department has taken issue with our original findings in the report below. We have answered their criticisms point by point in an extended rebuttal: Reply to San Luis Obispo County Health Department — Today the World Business Academy officially releases a report on striking negative health trends […]
Study: Nuclear Reactors Are Toxic to Surrounding Areas, Especially With Age
Study: Nuclear Reactors Are Toxic to Surrounding Areas, Especially With Age By Candice Bernd, Truthout.org, March 11, 2014 (This article is republished with permission from Truthout.org) A study released last week shows that public health in the communities surrounding California’s Diablo Canyon power plant in San Luis Obispo County declined dramatically after the plant was built. […]
CBS News Covers Ongoing Fukushima Disaster
CBS News visited the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan for a first-hand look at the ongoing disaster. Their conclusion: the estimated cost of the cleanup effort is currently $100 billion with a time horizon of 40 years. The World Business Academy continues to study the Fukushima disaster. The scale and scope of the cleanup […]
Nuclear Regulators Hear from Angry Public on Diablo Canyon Plant
Over 230 people attended a standing-room-only public forum of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on the evening of November 20 in San Luis Obispo, CA, to express their opinions the NRC’s Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) and proposed Waste Confidence Rule. The GEIS attempts to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the continued storage […]
