SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In early August, there were rumblings Gov. Gavin Newsom was working with legislators on a proposal to reduce electricity bills. Details were scant, but the need was clear: Californians pay more than twice the national average, with bills nearly doubling within the last decade.
After weeks of closed-door negotiations, legislators unveiled six bills Wednesday night, which are dividing experts. Some say the measures take a meaningful, albeit small, step toward solving the state’s energy problems, while others argue they don’t do enough, write CalMatters reporters Alejandro Lazo, Julie Cart and Alejandra Reyes-Velarde.
Assembly Bill 3121 includes a rebate program, which would reportedly amount to one-time payments of $30 to $70 per household. But there’s a rub: The money would come from programs that help reduce energy bills for low-income residents and provide upgrades to heating and air conditioning systems at schools.
- Loretta Lynch, an environmental consultant and former president of the California Public Utilities Commission: “The last minute, gut-and-amend backroom deals do not attack the root causes of California’s incredibly high energy bills. Instead, they rob Peter to pay Paul — taking away key funds from programs that work to create a sham bill reduction.”
The measure is led by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, an Irvine Democrat who is carrying another bill in the package that would require the utilities commission to study how to reduce the cost of expanding the state’s electric grid for ratepayers.
Two bills would speed up clean energy projects. One would allow the energy commission to adopt a broader environmental impact report for common elements in projects, saving developers time and money. The other would streamline environmental reviews for hydrogen-producing facilities, which is opposed by one environmental group for its potential to fast-track facilities powered by fossil fuels.
The initial proposals were far more sweeping, boosting projects for solar, offshore wind and battery storage. Still, Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, says the current bills are “an important first step towards affordable energy for all California residents.”
With only two days left before the Legislature adjourns, it’s unclear whether any of the bills will cross the finish line in time. But they could get addressed in a special session that Newsom is considering calling to address energy issues, including a proposal to require oil refineries to keep a minimum stock of fuel.
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas declined to comment, but Senate leader Mike McGuire of Santa Rosa publicly objected Thursday.
- McGuire: “The Senate will not support convening a special session this fall. Californians shouldn’t have to wait for relief at the pump and on their utility bills. … We’re ready — right now — to get the bills passed, sent to the Governor, and signed into law.”
Read more about the energy legislation in the story.