October 2022

L ast month’s column stated that Lompoc is a full-service city, mean- ing the city provides most, if not all, the services our community needs to function daily. One of the functions mentioned was that ompoc has its own electric utility division. This division oversees electri- cal production, grid management, and services. How did we come to have our own electrical company? Lompoc is a founding member of the North- ern California Power Agency (NCPA.) NCPA was established in 1968 as a not-for-profit Joint Powers Agency by a group of cities wanting to own their own power production. http:// www.ncpa.com/about/mission/joint-action/ Because the city of Lompoc’s Electric Utility is publicly owned, by you the resident, and as a member of the not-for-profit NCPA, the electrical rates inside the city limits are significantly lower than surrounding communities. For Lompoc residents, the rate is approximately 60% lower and for Lompoc businesses, it is ap- proximately 30% lower. Outside the city limits, PG&E, a private for-profit utility company, provides electricity for communities like Mission Hills and Vandenberg Village. The other member cities of NCPA are a diverse mix of small and large cities, community service districts, and co-ops. Members include Alameda, Biggs, Gridley, Healdsburg, Lodi, Palo Alto, Redding, Roseville, Santa Clara, Shasta Lake, Ukiah, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Port of Oakland, the Truckee Don- ner Public Utility District, and the Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative. Lompoc is the most southern California member city of NCPA. Over the past four decades the organization has constructed, as well as operated and maintained, a fleet of power plants that deliver our electricity. Lompoc made a major investment in renewable energy when NCPA developed two geothermal plants, and a hydropower plant in the 1980s as well as the construction of a state-of-the-art, “fast-start” natu- ral gas facility in 2012. NCPA’s major generation properties are the 102-megawatt (MW) Geysers geothermal plants; the 259 MW North Fork Stanislaus River hy- droelectric facility; and the 300 MW natural gas-fired Lodi Ener - gy Center. http://www.ncpa.com/ about/generation/ NCPA’s power plants are about 55% greenhouse gas emission-free. This mix of geothermal, hydroelectric, and natural gas power plants helps position Lompoc to achieve California’s mandated policy of 60% Renewable Portfolio Standard by 2030. As a member, Lompoc has invested in the most environmentally friendly forms of electricity. NCPA installed the world’s first integrated wastewater geothermal system, which reversed years of declining steam production prolong - ing the life of the facility. NCPA was also the first organization in the U.S. to install “fast start” combined-cycle natural gas turbines that are highly efficient and designed to integrate of new intermittent renewables, such as solar and wind. NCPA is managed by locally elected or appointed leaders from its member cities who volunteer their time. Lompoc appoints a council member, an alternate council member, and a staff member as its representation to NCPA. I am the cur - rent appointee, Councilmember Jeremy Ball is the alternate, and Utility Director C.J. Berry serves as the staff appointee. I will be Vice Chair of the NCPA Board, and Chair of the Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee, for 2022-2023. In 2018, Lompoc and NCPA celebrated their 50th anniversary of providing our community with electricity that is depend- able and affordable, while also being socially and environmentally responsible. Lompoc benefits from being a founding member yesterday, today, and tomorrow. http://www.ncpa.com/about/history/50th-anniversary/ One more reason Lom- poc is a unique and pioneering community that we can be proud to call home. Email your questions for this column to j_osborne@ci.lompoc.ca.us . City council meetings are on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6:30 p.m. in city hall, on TapTV Comcast Channel 23 and KPEG 100.9 FM, or streaming on www.cityoflompoc.com . Email public comment by 4 p.m. on those Tuesdays to s_haddon@ci.lompoc.ca.us or call in during the meeting at 805-875-8201. www.thelompocvision.com The Lompoc Vision “Good News You Can Use.” 5 Happenings at City Hall, “No politics, no guff.” by Mayor Jenelle Osborne 9/11 21st Year Remembrance Ceremony at Lompoc Fire Station 51 by Wendy Nesby