Sacramento, CA- The California legislature took the first
steps to reduce California’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote clean
energy jobs by passing AB 1920 (Huffman) and AB 2224 (De La Torre) out of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce
Committee.
“California
is showing once again that it is a leader when it comes to clean energy,” said
Dan Jacobson Legislative Director for Environment California. “Since the
federal government is not taking action on this issue we need the state to lead
the way.”
AB 1920 (Huffman)
would require utilities to compensate homeowners and businesses for any excess
electricity generated by a solar or other qualifying renewable energy
technology, calculated on an annual basis. In turn, the utilities would be
allowed to count the purchased surplus power toward meeting their annual
Renewable Portfolio Standard goals.
State provided rebates would only apply to that which is necessary to
meet the consumer’s on-site load.
AB 2224 (De La Torre) would
create a standardized curriculum for clean energy and energy efficiency
training programs. This curriculum would be rolled out at high-schools,
technical schools, colleges, universities, private institutions and non-profit
organizations recruiting and training up the next generation of workers
pursuing careers in clean energy. The initiative would help educators
interested in providing solar and clean energy training classes with the
curriculum as well as with information and resources needed to start up or
expand training programs. This bill will help meet the growing needs for new,
trained workers within the clean energy field in California.
AB 1920 will now be heard in
the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and AB 2224 will be heard in the labor
committee.
