Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California
[email protected]
Environment California calls on legislators to oppose legislation slowing down rooftop solar
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The bill would give utilities outsized power and saddle customers with higher rates
Environment California
SACRAMENTO, CA — At the state capital Wednesday, Environment California joined environmentalists, solar owners, and others to demonstrate opposition for a bill that would stall the growth of rooftop solar. Moreover, the bill, AB 1139, would give utilities outsized power to saddle consumers with higher rates due to unnecessary and costly investments in the grid
Finally, the bill would cut the length of time all existing net-metered customers receive retail credit down from 20 to ten years, drastically and unfairly reduce the bill credit for clean energy exported to the grid and place large fixed charges on all rooftop solar users, including the 15 percent of current solar users who are CARE customers. These policy changes would harm existing rooftop solar customers who entered into agreements to contribute to the clean energy economy with their home solar system on good faith that they would have their upfront investment paid back over time.
In response, Environment California State Director Laura Deehan issued the following statement:
“As we speak, California is caught in another drought emergency and uncontrolled wildfires are burning in Los Angeles. It couldn’t be more clear: The devastating effects of global warming are here with us now. To face down this danger, we have to get to 100 percent renewable energy as fast as possible, and rooftop solar is one of our best tools to get there.
We should be catching clean energy from our roofs and using it to power our lights, heating, cooling, cars, trucks and buses and more. Getting solar panels on existing rooftops will minimize environmental disruption and allow us to build the most sustainable grid as quickly as possible.
With so much at stake, it makes no sense to slow down rooftop solar now. At a time when we should be doing everything possible to encourage rooftop solar, this proposed legislation would reverse California’s leadership role in the fight against global warming at the worst possible time. I urge California legislators to rethink this wrongheaded legislation and vote no on AB 1139.”
