Governor Gavin Newsom and Assembly Energy Chair Chris Holden (who have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from the monopoly utilities and their ally trade associations) are trying to slam AB 1054 as a surprise bill through the Senate Energy Committee by TOMORROW (7/8) to bail out PG&E and Southern California Edison for the costs of their wildfire negligence.
Use the contact info below TODAY to call Senate Energy Committee Chair Ben Hueso and your own State Senator. If you get voice mail, leave a recorded message.
"Please vote NO on AB 1054 until it is amended to make sure the monopoly utilities pay for the wildfires they cause and must prove they are not at fault before passing wildfire costs to ratepayers."
Ben Hueso - Energy Committee Chair
(916) 651-4040 (Press 1 and leave a message for Legislative Director if you are calling Sunday.)
To find your State Senator go to:
http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
BACKGROUND:
*AB 1054 IS A BAILOUT*
AB 1054 Is a massive bailout that allows PG&E and SCE to force ratepayers to pay billions of dollars in liability costs of wildfires *even* if the utilities are clearly at fault and their negligence led to the fires! AB 1054 also outrageously allows these wildfire costs to be paid for with bonds, forcing ratepayers to not only pay the costs, but to pay unnecessary INTEREST on those costs. Interest paid to big banks, means less money for people, communities, and wildlife who are damaged by wildfires.
*UNDEMOCRATIC RUBBER STAMP PROCESS*
AB 1054 sets up under-the-radar proceedings, heavily dominated by the Governor's office, that will allow the monopoly utilities to operate under bogus 'Safety Certifications' approved *before* there are wildfires. If a fire happens within a year after one of these 'Certifications' is approved, regulators are then allowed to automatically pass the costs on to ratepayers, without scrutiny, follow-up, or public hearings at the Utilities Commission (CPUC). Because the monopoly utilities have been such a bad actors in past wildfires and other disasters, this rubber stamp approval is an outrage!
*PUTS THE BURDEN TO PROOF ON WILDFIRE VICTIMS & CONSUMERS*
Currently, PG&E and SCE have to do the hard work to *prove* that they were not at fault *before* they can ask the public to cover wildfire costs. AB 1054 turns this on its head and allows public bailouts to be approved automatically, and if a utility has engaged in wrongdoing, AB 1054 forces consumer advocates and wildfire victims to prove this to regulators in a burdensome appeal process!