AB 1999 passes the California Assembly Committee on Utilities & Energy.
SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, the California Assembly Committee on Utilities & Energy passed Assemblymember Irwin’s Assembly Bill (AB) 1999, marking a significant victory for consumer protection and clean energy progress. This crucial bill now moves forward to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and we urge lawmakers to continue supporting it to protect Californians from exorbitant fixed charges.
AB 1999 introduces essential safeguards to fixed charges, including:
- Capping annual increases in the fixed fee at a rate not exceeding inflation.
- Mandating detailed reports by the California Public Utilities Commission on clean energy investments and their effects on rates.
- Setting a sunset date of 2028 for fixed charges to ensure legislative reassessment and proper oversight.
Advanced Energy United’s California Policy Lead, Edson Perez, issued the following statement:
“We have seen the fixed charges utilities would implement if things were up to them, with one proposal going beyond $100. Such proposals would undoubtedly increase bills for millions of Californians, severely punish those who use the least energy, wipe out incentives for Californians to support the grid during emergencies using distributed energy resource technologies, and decimate incentives to conserve energy.
AB 1999 provides common-sense safeguards against these outcomes by capping future fixed charge increases to inflation and including a sunset provision to compel the legislature to reassess and ensure proper oversight. The passage of this bill is a significant step in protecting everyday Californians and advancing our clean energy goals.
We urge the rest of the legislature to recognize the importance of these protections and pass AB 1999 into law.”
The bill’s passage through the committee is a critical step toward ensuring a fair and sustainable energy future for all Californians. Let's continue to push for responsible policies that protect consumers and promote clean energy.
Click here to learn more about Advanced Energy United's work in California.
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Further commitments are needed to ensure GGRF funds are spent on critical programs
SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the May Revision to his 2024-2025 budget proposal, which maintains most of its multi-year commitments to critical clean energy programs, including the Distributed Electricity Backup Assets (DEBA) Program, and clean transportation programs, including those related to zero-emission school buses and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, through shifts to Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
According to an initial summary from the Governor’s Office, the May Revision appears poised to include no further reductions to critical investments in clean energy and clean transportation, although the proposal does include the reductions and delays proposed in January, which endanger California’s climate goals.
“Clean energy programs like the Distributed Electricity Backup Assets Program are vital to keeping California’s lights on during extreme events,” said Edson Perez, California lead at national business association Advanced Energy United. “Clean energy and zero-emission vehicle programs like those funding electric school buses are essential for California to clean up its air and meet its ambitious decarbonization goals. We urge the legislature to prioritize these investments which create good jobs and get us closer to meeting California’s nation-leading clean energy goals.”
The updated budget will remain up for negotiation until June 15. Advanced Energy United looks forward to engaging with the Governor’s Office and legislature to arrive at a budget that upholds the state’s commitments to zero-emission vehicles and clean energy programs that are crucial in helping communities switch to less-polluting technologies, support in-state jobs, and better position the state to meet its clean energy goals.
Click here to learn more about Advanced Energy United's work in California.
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The New York Times reports on the California Public Utilities Commission's approval of a monthly fixed fee that will be added to customers’ monthly utility bills. Quoted in the article, United's Edson Perez spoke out against the fixed charge, emphasizing that the policy will negatively impact California’s electrification efforts and discourage investments in energy efficiency and distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar and battery storage.
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Building Decarbonization
POLITICO Pro reports on the California Public Utilities Commission imposing a monthly $24 charge on electricity bills. The article quotes United's Edson Perez, calling the decision "another blow to California’s clean energy goal."
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CPUC approves a $24 fixed fee for utility customers’ monthly electricity bill
SACRAMENTO, CA—The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved a monthly fixed fee that will be added to customers’ monthly utility bills. This fee is a result of a 2022 bill, Assembly Bill 205, thatdirected the CPUC to add a fixed charge to utility bills based on household income in exchange for lowering volumetric rates.The approved plan willadd a fixed charge of $24.15 to monthly utility bills (reduced to $12 or $6 for lower-income customers).
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Virtual power plants can provide opportunities for Californians to deliver power back into the grid
SACRAMENTO, CA— A new study from Brattle Group evaluates the potential of five different consumer technologies that could improve California’s electricity grid.
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E&E News reports on a new study from the Brattle Group that finds that Virtual Power Plants can serve more than 15 percent of peak electricity demand in California. The article quotes United's Edson Perez uplifting the benefits VPPs have to offer.
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Western Regional Electricity Market Progress Continues to be Made
Today, the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative Launch Committee released a straw proposal that outlines a plan to establish an independent entity to oversee Western markets, building on the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) and extended day-ahead market (EDAM). Clean energy industry representatives from Advanced Energy United, Pattern Energy, and Enel North America applauded the proposal, which will help advance efforts to build a regional transmission organization (RTO) in the West.
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Wholesale Markets,
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Leah Rubin Shen,
Western RTO,
California
New market approval continues forward momentum for RTO development in the West
SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, national business association Advanced Energy United applauded the commitment of Portland General Electric and Idaho Power to join the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) extended day-ahead market (EDAM), an electricity market poised to deliver enhanced reliability, economic, and environmental benefits to utilities and communities through the West when it begins in 2026.
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Leah Rubin Shen,
Western RTO,
California
Canary Media
reports on the California lawmakers’ efforts to overturn the California Public Utilities Commission’s plan to propose income-graduated fixed fees with Assembly Bill 1999. The article quotes Edson Perez and Brian Turner on how ratepayers will be affected by this and the consequences of this fixed charge.
Of all the ways California regulators are proposing to rein in fast-rising electric utility rates, few are as controversial as the plan to charge customers for electricity service based on how much money they make.
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United In The News,
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Brian Turner,
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