PG&E lied to the Legislature to secure a $1.4 billion taxpayer "loan", much of which will never be repaid. The 2022 bill prioritized financial benefits for PG&E and its shareholders including unprecedented liability protections. Ratepayers are being massively overcharged and deserve a better deal.
The current deal is manifestly unfair to ratepayers. Approximately 1/3 of the amounts paid by ratepayers go to incentives benefiting PG&E and its shareholders. PG&E's liability for poor performance or overspending is almost non-existent. Any extension past 2030 must prioritize benefits to customers.
Excellent summary of the community solar fiasco in California. The CPUC has no interest in a viable program and intentionally frustrated the implementation of AB 2316. As a result, CA lost out on billions of dollars of federal support that are no longer available.
Repealing these requirements could allow AZ utilities to resell existing renewable energy procurement to CA load serving entities for compliance with CA's zero carbon electricity targets. This type of resource shuffling would undermine CA's goals and needs to be addressed by state regulators.
I coauthored this op-ed discussing the need for state policy to ensure that the growth of data centers in California provides benefits for electricity ratepayers and the environment. I'm working with NetZero CA and Senator Steven Padilla on legislation (SB 886/SB 887) that addresses these concerns.
Wonderful book. I loved the three time period experience.
It was an honor to participate in the podcast and discuss the end-of-session developments.
I was honored to join this week's Boiling Point podcast with LA Times reporter @sammyroth.bsky.social to discuss final outcomes on electricity affordability in this year's CA legislative session. The bottom line -- small steps forward but so much more remains to be done.
Just canceled my DisneyPlus subscription to protest their assault on free speech and capitulation to Trump.
Great article highlighting one of the problematic elements of Governor Newsom's deal to keep Diablo Canyon operating. The rest of the package gives ratepayers a raw deal by insulating PG&E from liability and creating a ratepayer-funded $1.3 billion slush fund to benefit PG&E's shareholders.
The Legislature was promised the $1.4 billion taxpayer "loan" for Diablo Canyon would be repaid by federal grants. PG&E knew at least $300 million was categorically ineligible for federal support. The actual federal grant may only provide $741 million, with taxpayers on the hook for the remainder.
Today's decision doesn't address substantive issues relating to Net Energy Metering reform. It focuses on the standard of review for CPUC decisions and rejects the longstanding hands-off approach relied on by the court of appeals. Even under the new standard, the challenge faces an uphill battle.
SDG&E's projection of electric bill impacts is puzzling. They are projecting a 1.14 cents/kWh increase in the average residential rate, which constitutes a 2.96% increase. Not sure how that plausibly translates into lower average bills.