Governor Jerry Brown did not realize how backwards California’s solar regulations were until he visited Germany in the summer of 2013. There were 500 jurisdictions back home, each with its own requirements and charges. Some are models of efficiency. Los Angeles’ web based system can spit out an approval immediately and it only takes a day in San Diego, but there are also jurisdictions where the process drags out over the course of many weeks. As a result, the soft costs of getting a solar system in California can be eight times as they are in Germany. The Germans have a single system for the entire country. Governor Brown was impressed. So impressed that he started making inquiries about how to streamline California’s permitting process. That was how AB 2188 came into being.
There will be yet another demonstration in the waters around Grace Islet this morning. The Chiefs, elders and paddlers of six First Nations will be joining with concerned Salt Spring Island Residents to call on Minister Steve Thomson to stop the desecration of Grace Islet.
Between 70% and 80% of California’s solar installations are leased from third party companies. This model has been reproduced throughout much of the US, but some Washington installers want to do something different. They believe that money raised from local taxpayers should be used to promote the growth of local solar initiatives. This puts them in opposition to large out-of-state solar leasing companies who need that funding. Will Washington buck the trend?
Grace Islet is a recognized First Nations burial site, on Salt Spring Island, which Alberta businessman Barry Slawsky purchased in 1990. He was recently given the go-ahead to build his holiday home, providing he puts it on stilts that go over the burial cairns. This prompted a series of protests by First Nations and Salt Spring Island residents. The most recent development in this ongoing controversy was a proposal that the Capital Regional District’s (CRD) expropriate the islet, possibly turning it into a burial park. A decision was reached last night, CRD Will Not Expropriate Grace Islet.
