On Friday, September 26, the California Energy Commission released proposed changes to the Proposition 39 Guidelines.  Public comment is due by October 27, 2014 and must be submitted via email to docket@energy.ca.gov.  In the email subject line, indicate Prop 39 13-CCEJA-01.

In November, a 15-day public notice of the proposed changes will be posted, and the CEC will consider the changes at its business meeting on December 10, 2014.  This means that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) will likely be able to submit Energy Expenditure Plans (EEPs) under the current Guidelines until December 10, after which revised Guidelines will likely be in effect.

Proposed changes address and provide clarification on issues related to the prohibition on sole source, public works project award notification and payroll reporting, moving content from the Guidelines to the Energy Expenditure Handbook, and more.

The most significant change is a revision to the definition of an eligible energy project.  The proposal would allow bundling of efficiency measures and/or clean energy installations in or at one or more school sites within a Local Education Agency (LEA), rather than limiting a project to one school site.  This will allow applicants to layer EEP projects LEA-wide, thus providing more flexibility to meet the Savings-to-Investment Ratio (SIR) requirement.

Click below for additional information:

Draft Proposition 39 Guidelines

Summary of Changes to Draft Guidelines

~ Rebekah Cearley