California utility customers start getting ‘Climate Credits’
• Credits will range from $30 to $40, twice a year
• Rebates come from proceeds of state’s cap-and-trade anti-pollution program
• Consumer, environmental advocates pushed for the credits
SACRAMENTO, California – Customers of Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric this month will receive the first “Climate Credit” on their electricity bills.
The California Climate Credit will be issued twice a year, in April and October, to Californians who get their electricity from one of the state’s three investor-owned utilities.
The amount will range from approximately $30 to $40 each time, depending on the utility company involved, and will be the same for each household within a particular company’s service territory.
Consumer and environmental advocates urged the California Public Utilities Commission to implement these customer rebates, which represent the bulk of proceeds from pollution permits allocated to the state’s three investor-owned utilities under AB 32, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act.
“We pushed hard for this credit, which protects California households from having to foot the bill even as we make sure electricity rates reflect the cost of pollution in order to encourage cleaner alternatives,” said Ryan Young, legal counsel with The Greenlining Institute’s Environmental Equity program.
“Now, with the cap-and-trade program up and running, California families are about to reap the dividends,” Young added.
He said further, “We wanted to make sure that those who do the right thing and cut their energy use weren’t penalized by receiving a smaller credit, while maximizing the benefit to low-income households.”
“By using this credit to do simple things like replacing power-guzzling light bulbs with energy-saving bulbs, Californians can multiply their savings and help clean our air even more.”
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