So Where’s This Affordability Package?

Source: Politico  |  By Wes Venteicher, Camille von Kaenel, and Blanca Begert

It’s not just you. A week out from the drop-dead deadline to submit bills this legislative session, almost nobody outside a small group of negotiators knows what’s going on with two proposals that could take big swings at electricity affordability and clean energy development. A group of about 30 environmental, solar and clean energy advocacy organizations said in a letter yesterday to Gov. Gavin Newsom, McGuire and Rivas that they expect the package to cut programs paid for in electric bills that fund HVAC improvements in schools, battery storage systems for low-income customers and solar for renters.

“To us it doesn’t benefit us to have a program that benefits an extremely small percent of low-income customers by increasing bills for everyone else,” said Mark Toney, executive director of ratepayer advocacy group The Utility Reform Network.