Author: Edward Ring

Edward Ring is the director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, which he co-founded in 2013 and served as its first president. The California Policy Center is an educational non-profit focused on public policies that aim to improve California’s democracy and economy. He is also a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Ring is the author of two books: "Fixing California - Abundance, Pragmatism, Optimism" (2021), and "The Abundance Choice - Our Fight for More Water in California" (2022).

Ringside: Observations as a New Water Year Begins

October 8, 2026 4:00 pmOctober 8, 2026 4:01 pm

For water users and water watchers, October 1st was New Year’s Day. It’s a good time to step back and comment on where we’re headed with water policy and water projects. There is no single variable that affects how much...

Ringside – Geothermal Energy: A Huge Wildcard

October 1, 2026 3:03 pmOctober 1, 2026 3:05 pm

If geothermal energy is a niche source of power in California, then it is in good company. In 2025, geothermal energy generated 10,908 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity in California. That puts it well above biomass (4,226 GWh), and sort of...

Ringside: El Nino Emergency Planning Must Include Dredging the Delta

September 24, 2026 6:00 amSeptember 24, 2026 6:01 am

On September 21, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency due to the “strong and likely historic El Nino event in the Pacific Ocean.” The timing of the announcement is in response to the latest predictions from the National...

Ringside: The Energy and Water Footprint of AI

September 17, 2026 6:00 amSeptember 17, 2026 6:01 am

Whether artificial intelligence should be regulated, and if so, how, has almost overnight become one of the biggest political issues of our time. And with AI comes a surge in construction of massive data centers, for which we should minimize...

Ringside: Comments on the ‘Water Quality Control Plan’ for the Delta

September 9, 2026 4:39 pmSeptember 9, 2026 4:39 pm

The August 2026 final draft of the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) “Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Watershed” has been released. Written comments will be accepted through September 18, and the board will also take oral...

Ringside: Where Does California Get its Energy?

September 2, 2026 4:50 pmSeptember 3, 2026 7:40 am

Finding quality, consolidated information on energy use in California is surprisingly difficult. The California Department of Energy provides detailed information on electricity production, and a variety of reports on, for example, refinery inputs and production. But there is no report available from...

Ringside: Without Sediment Removal in the Delta, Catastrophic Flooding is Coming to California

August 27, 2026 8:14 amAugust 27, 2026 8:14 am

In the cities and farms immediately south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the worst flooding of the 20th century happened in 1997. Several days of unrelenting rain pummeled the slopes of the Sierras, and with the snow line unusually high at...