Benicia City Council will get a preview Tuesday of the public education program Marin Clean Energy would use to explain the electricity provider change that is coming to residential and commercial customers.

The outreach program, in keeping with state provisions, also will explain how those who want to be excluded can keep Pacific Gas and Electric as their power provider.

The official rollout of the education program will be Feb. 19; meanwhile, Tuesday is the Council’s opportunity to add its own comments and recommend specific community groups Marin Clean Energy (MCE) should target during the campaign.

The Council voted Nov. 4, 2014, to join MCE, a not-for-profit community choice aggregation agency, interim Community Development Director Dan Marks wrote in a Jan. 22 report.

“Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) allows local governments to purchase and/or develop clean power on behalf of their residents, businesses and municipal accounts,” Marks wrote.

CCAs form partnerships with Pacific Gas and Electric, Benicia’s current power provider, he wrote; PG&E maintains the energy grid, delivers the electricity, provides customer service, billing and infrastructure maintenance.

Current Benicia PG&E customers will be transferred automatically to MCE in May, unless the individuals and company owners request to remain with PG&E.

City employees began working with MCE staff to develop the informative program to describe utility customers’ four energy choices: MCE’s 50-percent “light green” renewable-sourced energy purchase; its 100-percent “deep green” renewable energy purchase; MCE Local Sol, or 100-percent solar-sourced power, all purchased on customers’ behalf; or PG&E’s 22 percent renewable energy.

The light green option is MCE’s “default” option, Marks wrote, but it and the deep green option will be available in May. MCE Local Sol will be available in fall, he wrote.

MCE will be mailing the first of five “opt out” notices to customers Feb. 19, Marks wrote. The rest will be sent through June.

Two of the mailings will be letters, and the rest will be tri-fold brochures.

A call center, at 888-632-3674, has been set up to operate around the clock through Aug. 1 and to provide information in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog and Laotian, and those with questions can email MCE staff at info@mceCleanEnergy.org.

MCE will send a representative to Benicia during the earliest mailouts, will advertise the change and create a Web page during the Benicia enrollment period, Marks wrote.

In addition, public town hall-style meetings will be scheduled so MCE representatives and the Council can give residents and business owners information about the change and answer their questions. Multiple business, service and community organizations, including those that provide assistance to older residents, will be asked to allow MCE staff to make presentations or informational materials to their members, and the utility will participate in multiple community events to provide literature to attendees.

The Council will meet with the Finance Committee at 6 p.m. Tuesday to hear an update on the city’s 10-year financial forecast, and its regular meeting will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Both sessions are open to the public and will be in the Council Chamber of City Hall, 250 East L St.

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