Reps. Thompson and Levin lead letter to California Public Utilities Commission to address high electric bills

Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) and Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) led a letter signed by 16 members of the California Congressional delegation to California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) President Alice Busching Reynolds expressing their concerns over high fixed charge proposals under consideration in the CPUC's Income Graduated Fixed Charge (IGFC) proceedings. As utility bills continue to rise in California, Reps. Levin and Thompson, and their colleagues asked the CPUC to avoid implementing a high fixed charge that could impede progress on our climate goals or increase electricity costs for low-and middle- income families. A fixed charge is a fixed fee that ratepayers will have to pay every month, regardless of how much electricity they use or try to conserve.

“We are concerned that a high fixed charge could undercut investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency that Congress intended to encourage with the Inflation Reduction Act,” explains the letter. “We are further concerned that a high fixed charge could increase the electricity bills of millions of Californians, especially those who live in small homes, condos and apartments. Such setbacks could harm our progress on federal and state clean energy, climate, and equity goals.”

“Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act to make electrification, energy efficiency improvements, and distributed energy resources more affordable for Americans. These measures will help to bring down utility bills, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and combat climate change,” the letter continues. “We are concerned that imposing a high fixed charge could make it substantially more difficult for families to realize cost savings from electrifying their homes, improving their energy efficiency, or installing distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar.”

To read the text of the full letter visit: https:// levin.house.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_cpuc. pdf