It’s weird times when the people championing a clean energy future threaten to turn their backs on what’s widely considered the quickest, most viable way to get there. But that’s where some climate activists have been lately with the Orange County Power Authority (OCPA), O.C.’s fledgling agency intended to accelerate the move toward renewable energy and, at the same time, give communities more control over electricity prices and investments.
The OCPA is at a crossroads. Orange County, which was set to receive energy from the agency later this year for unincorporated areas of the county, voted to withdraw in December. Huntington Beach and Irvine, the agency’s two largest members, are also considering withdrawing.
Customers have complained of higher-than-expected electricity prices and paltry communication about their options since the agency, which was founded in 2020, began providing power last year. Public officials and watchdogs have voiced mounting concerns over mismanagement, sloppy hiring practices and a lack of transparency within the agency.
“The Orange County Power Authority as an institution, sadly, has been used since day one as a tool for corruption,” said Ayn Craciun, Orange County Policy Manager for the nonprofit Climate Action Campaign.
Still, even some of the most vocal critics, including Craciun, say that saving the OCPA is the county’s best hope for mitigating the greenhouse gas effects that are already showing up in the form of crumbling coastal infrastructure and devastating wildfires.
“This is our only chance at clean energy that meets the scale of the climate crisis,” Craciun said.
To help you untangle what’s going on, we’ve written this guide. It’s designed for:
- Residents of cities covered by the Orange County Power Authority (you live in Buena Park, Fullerton, Huntington Beach or Irvine) or potential customers (you live somewhere else in Orange County). This is a rundown of what critics say has gone…
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