California senators heard arguments for and against the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, with some lawmakers voicing concerns about guardrails against market manipulation and what the effort means for the state's autonomy to set its own policies.

The language for the proposed bill to implement “Step 2” of the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative stipulates the conditions under which CAISO and California utilities can participate in energy markets governed by an independent regional organization.

California state lawmakers introduced a much-anticipated bill to implement “Step 2” of the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative, marking a significant step toward the creation of a new independent “regional organization” to oversee governance of CAISO’s markets.