Newsom Stands By ‘Equitable’ Electricity Bills as Opposition Builds

Dem lawmakers, citing public outcry, want to reverse policy to charge electricity by income rather than usage.

California governor Gavin Newsom is standing by the state's soon-to-be-implemented "Equitable" policy to base electricity bills on income, rather than usage, even as public and political opposition to the idea builds in the Democratic coalition.

A spokesman for the governor said on Tuesday that Newsom is looking forward to seeing a final proposal from the state's utilities commission "That is consistent with" the 2022 law that required the agency to devise an income-based billing system.

Citing public outcry, they condemned the plan as another price hike for Californians' astronomical energy bills that would punish conservation-minded households while also subjecting everyone to invasive income checks.

The growing public pressure over the issue may signal that Californians, a majority of whom said last year that environmental regulations are worth the cost, have hit a limit to their tolerance for Sacramento's energy policies.

Electricity rates have risen nearly 70 percent since 2010, when the state started to break from fossil fuels, and California households pay nearly 83 percent more than the average for homes elsewhere in the United States.

Jenn Engstrom, the state director of the California Public Interest Research Group, which opposes the income-based fee system, warned of its added costs for Californians and said it would "Punish those of us committed to energy conservation and efficiency." "This not only diminishes consumer control over energy bills, but a system that incentivizes high energy consumption could increase costs on the entire system and lead to higher electricity bills for everyone," Engstrom said.

Terrie Prosper, director of news and outreach for the state's utility commission, defended the plan as a "Critical step toward our climate goals" because electric vehicle owners will end up paying less to charge their cars and Californians can more cheaply use electric heat pumps to warm their homes. 

https://freebeacon.com/california/newsom-stands-by-equitable-electricity-bills-as-opposition-builds/