News, Views and Analysis from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments
Residents in the Bay Area and across the state will have more access to energy-saving programs after the California Public Utilities Commission issued a proposed decision this month expanding Regional Energy Networks. Read More
Bay Area multifamily housing affordability issues have been eased for some through BayREN's multi-family energy rebate program – known as BAMBE. Read More
An energy savings program administered by ABAG has won a prestigious national award for its work. Read More
We recently reviewed some of the Highlights from the Spring 2018 ABAG General Assembly, providing an overview of the program's focus on topics such as wildfires, floods and sea level rise, earthquakes, and energy.
The video above gives a sneak peak inside the event itself, featuring some of the the speakers and public officials who came together to discuss "Building a Resilient Region" and how cities and regions can effectively respond to the unique challenges of the 21st Century. Read More
Nearly 150 attendees from local governments throughout the nine county San Francisco Bay Area attended the ABAG Spring 2018 General Assembly and Business Meeting on May 31, 2018.
The General Assembly brings together ABAG’s member towns, cities and counties once a year to review and approve the Associations’s budget and work program for the coming fiscal year, as well as to discuss urgent policy issues facing the region.
The overarching theme of this year’s program was resilience. Major topics covered included recovery lessons from the North Bay Wildfires, adaptation strategies for floods and sea level rise, earthquake preparedness, and energy programs.
The 2018 General Assembly agenda is available online and key materials, handouts and presentations are available on ABAG’s website. Keep reading to find out more! Read More
As the San Francisco Bay Area’s council of governments, ABAG supports regional planning and cooperation among the 101 cities and nine counties that make up the region. Generally, this has meant research, planning and projects related to land use, housing, environmental and water resource protection, and disaster resilience.
What is perhaps not as well-known is that this broad portfolio of work also extends to energy and energy efficiency. Enter the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), a collaboration of the nine Bay Area counties led by ABAG that implements energy saving programs on a regional level. BayREN draws on the expertise of Bay Area local governments to (1) Promote healthy and efficient buildings, (2) Reduce carbon emissions, and (3) Build government capacity.
Started in 2012 as a first-of-its-kind pilot program, BayREN is funded by California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission, as well as through grants. One of only two Regional Energy Networks in the state, BayREN represents 20 percent of the state’s population. Read More