Assembly Bill 1139 (AB 1139) is going to a hearing this Wednesday, 4/21, and we are rallying folks to call in and oppose the bill unless it’s amended. This bill would kill the rooftop solar industry in California and set a dangerous precedent for the whole country.
Here is a link to a toolkit with more information about how to call in to this Wednesday’s Utilities & Energy Committee hearing, which is from 1:30-5:30 p.m. The toolkit also has more details about the bill.
AB 1139 is being disguised as an equity fix (using utility talking points, utility-supported studies and ignoring reports that show How rooftop solar could save Americans $473 billion) when in reality it hurts all ratepayers, especially communities of concern (via rate increases and worsening environmental injustices). This is why 56 climate and equity organizations signed on to this letter opposing the bill.
Here’s a quick summary of the bill’s impact:
California’s Assembly Bill 1139 (AB 1139), introduced by San Diego’s Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, would kill net energy metering (NEM), the policy that has allowed rooftop solar to continue to grow sustainably and become increasingly accessible to low and moderate income consumers. The bill would make going solar more expensive for every ratepayer, including those on CARE, while eliminating NEM grandfathering and introducing new fixed “grid access” fees which will effectively tank all existing and future rooftop solar investments. While the bill does include additional subsidies for low-income customers (funded by ratepayers) it would also harm existing low-income solar users, eliminate the market for multifamily housing and bring solar benefits to fewer at-risk communities than today’s net metering-based market.
This bill would increase our reliance on dirty fossil fuels during a climate crisis, and make it nearly impossible to meet our 100% clean energy goals, while promoting further climate injustices in California and killing California’s solar industry, which accounts for thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefit.
Please let us know if you have any questions or if you’d like additional information. We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday to stand up for rooftop solar and equitable access to clean energy!
Thanks,
Tara Kelly Hammond (she/her/hers)
Founder & Chief Environmental Officer
858.215.4483 | tara@hammondclimatesolutions.com
