A key California lawmaker introduced a bill to allow CAISO to become a Western RTO by expanding its governance to include representatives from other states.

CAISO released a draft report on Western regionalization that is intended to revive talks on the ISO becoming a multistate RTO and bolster legislation.

A half dozen new climate and energy laws took effect in California on Jan. 1.

Energy leaders from California and other Western states met in a workshop to explore the benefits of developing regional markets, including one or more RTOs.

CAISO began a stakeholder process under ACR 188, a legislative request to examine the economic and environmental benefits of regional cooperation in the West.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed six air pollution reduction measures, bringing the total of climate-related bills enacted this legislative session to 40.

Two of three bills to speed transmission development and lower costs died at the end of the state legislature's two-year session while another was watered down.

On the last night of the legislative session, lawmakers passed bills to extend the life of Diablo Canyon and increase GHG reduction and clean energy targets.

The California State Legislature passed a resolution requesting that CAISO report on efforts to create an RTO in the West and its potential benefits.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was expected to sign legislation that would expedite permitting for new generation storage and possibly extend the life of aging gas plants.