By Executive Director of CALSSA, Bernadette DelChiaro.
If AB 1139, authored by San Diego’s Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, is not squarely on your radar and cause for major concern, let this letter put it there.
AB 1139 is California’s worst nightmare when it comes to the future of clean energy and energy reliability and affordability. The California Solar & Storage Association has detailed what this bill does, as amended last week, in this letter of opposition but to put it simply: it would kill the economics of going solar and make those changes retroactive to existing solar users.
A question undoubtedly on your mind as you read this: how is it possible for California to pass a bill that would kill the state’s marquee clean energy industry? From 100% clean energy goals, to wildfires, to blackouts, to jobs, to polls showing how popular rooftop solar is with voters (and how unpopular the utilities and their attack on net metering are in the reverse), there are many reasons why AB 1139 should have never been introduced much less have a very good chance of passing. So, what’s going on in Sacramento?
Well, it put it simply, California’s investor-owned utilities are powerful, and political power doesn’t always track with public opinion. Some of the most powerful corporations are the least liked brands. Campaign contributions, well-funded message control, and personal connections are the grease that moves the wheels of politics. All legislators are wined and dined by the utilities all-year long, and this behavior has its benefits.
In addition, the utilities have funded a massive multi-year campaign to reframe rooftop solar in the minds of decision makers. You can see this message spin in their www.FixTheCostShift.com website. Instead of being a no-brainer, bi-partisan solution to many of the state’s problems (as it was under previous governors), the utilities have hired an expensive PR firm to reframe consumer solar as an expensive toy of the rich who are not paying their “fair share” of grid costs and are therefore burdening poor ratepayers. Of course, the utilities and their allies completely cook the books, obfuscate, and intimidate to make their false claims but big lies work, as we all know.
AB 1139 is a real threat that you should take very seriously if you have solar already or if you hope to go solar in the future.
Let’s understand the additional steps AB 1139 must go through to become law:
1. It must pass the Assembly Appropriations Committee. AB 1139’s author, Lorena Gonzales, chairs that committee so it is safe to say it will clear that hurdle easily.
2. Then, Assembly Floor. This is where every assembly member (there are 80) will have a chance to cast a vote on or before June 4.
3. It goes next to the Senate where its first stop would be the Senate Energy Committee. By July 14th, the Energy Committee would need to hear AB 1139 and vote it out.
4. After Senate Energy, AB 1139 would need to clear Senate Appropriations by August 27.
5. AB 1139 would then move to the Senate Floor where it would need 21 aye votes by September 10.
6. The Governor’s Desk is the last stop. Within 30 days, he could either veto or sign the bill, or he could do what is called a “pocket veto” in which he ignores the bill and does nothing after which the bill is automatically dead.
Please act today and help us defeat AB 1139. Visit www.SaveCaliforniaSolar.org
