Cities, counties, and special districts (such as school, fire, and regional transit districts) are major retail purchasers of gasoline, diesel, electricity, etc. As such, these local governments are often the first to feel the impact of an energy supply disruption.

The purpose of the Local Government Program is to help local governments deal effectively with energy supply issues during an emergency.

In 1990, the Energy Commission began working with six counties under a pilot program to develop a model plan that could be used by other local government jurisdictions through the state. This initial program was followed up in 1993 by a federally-funded grant program. The Energy Commission provided grants to 11 counties, 2 cities, and 1 special district to prepare or update their local government energy emergency response plan.

Although currently no funding is available for additional grants, the Energy Commission staff continues to provide technical assistance and guidance to local governments to assist them in preparing energy emergency plans.

This assistance includes instructions for laying the groundwork and developing a plan, sample operating guidelines to assist the local energy emergency manager in preparing for and managing energy emergencies, and examples of scenarios to use to test the plan. This information is contained in the Local Government Emergency Planning Handbook.

Local Government Emergency Planning Handbook - Publication # 600-04-003. (Acrobat PDF file, 22 pages, 79 kilobytes)

Energy Emergency Planning Seminar for Local Governments

In 2008, the California Energy Commission and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services will be hosting a regional seminar on energy emergency planning for local governments. This free seminar is supported through a generous grant from the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) in order to assist states with responding to energy shortages, disruptions, and emergencies.

Subjects to be covered include:

• Developing an Energy Assurance Plan for your local government
• Coordinating electricity and natural gas needs with the Office of Emergency Services
• Managing gasoline and diesel supply issues
• The roles of various state agencies during an emergency

If you are interested in attending this seminar, please contact the Energy Commission (see contact information below) to be placed on our mailing list for future announcements regarding specific dates and locations. Please provide your name, mailing address (email preferred but not required), and phone number.

For more information, contact:

Sherry Stoner
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street, MS-23
Sacramento, CA 95814-5512

Or call: 916-654-5005
E-mail: sstoner@energy.state.ca.us