A California senate committee voted unanimously in favor of the Pathways bill, bringing the Golden State closer to allowing CAISO to cede oversight of its energy markets to an independent RO.

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.

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.