This week, California lawmakers met for a special legislative session to address affordability in California while also budgeting funds to defend against Trump’s likely attacks on climate action. So far, the special session has been mostly symbolic, with policy details to be tackled in January when the legislature reconvenes. State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire recently made it clear that the legislature’s priority going into 2025 is to advance policies that lower the cost of living in the state, including energy costs.
Our newly-released paper, Envisioning the California Grid for the Future, highlights policies that could lower electricity bills and reduce climate pollution by accelerating a cost-effective clean energy revolution. Those policies include ending incentives for utilities to overspend on infrastructure and supporting decentralized, clean energy resources — rooftop solar, microgrids, and low-cost energy storage via electric vehicle batteries. A recent analysis found that rooftop solar in California reduces energy costs for all ratepayers by $2.3 billion per year. Advancing these solutions is a great place for legislators to start addressing electricity costs and climate at the same time.
Additional policy tools legislators can use to address climate include ending oil and gas subsidies in the state budget and making polluters pay for the damages they inflict on our communities and ecosystems. Take a moment now to tell lawmakers we have their backs as they stand up for more accelerated climate action.
This blog first appeared in The Climate Center’s bi-weekly newsletter. To keep up with the latest climate news and ways to take action for a climate-safe future, subscribe today!
