Noah Rott, Deputy Press Secretary, noah.rott@sierraclub.org
San Francisco, CA - Today dozens of people representing public interest groups in the Affordable Energy Campaign (AEC) rallied outside the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and held a press conference calling on Gov. Newsom, lawmakers and regulators to address the broken utility system that burdens working people and communities with wildfire costs. Watch or use Sierra Club's livestream on Instagram, horizontal videos or see photo highlights.
"Today, roughly one out of every six dollars on our utility bills goes toward wildfire-related costs. Meanwhile, utilities like PG&E and Southern California Edison continue to report massive profits, with wildfire spending contributing to the growing costs being passed on to ratepayers," said Julia Dowell, Senior Campaign Organizer with the Sierra Club. "That is why our coalition is advocating for a number of solutions to protect ratepayers from skyrocketing rates, including removing shareholder profits for wildfire spending and tying executive compensation to wildfire safety."
Ahead of the press conference, the Affordable Energy Campaign sent a letter to Gov. Newsom and California Lawmakers calling on lawmakers to reject any bailout negotiated behind closed doors and instead advance policy solutions that end ratepayer-funded contributions to the Wildfire Fund, end profits on wildfire spending, and meaningfully tie executive compensation to wildfire safety.
"If California needs to fix its wildfire liability policy, that fix should be debated openly with everyone at the table, not negotiated behind closed doors with lobbyists representing corporations whose greed and failures have fueled this crisis in the first place," said Travis Gibrael, co-director of Reclaim Our Power. "All policy changes should move through a full legislative process, with meaningful public participation. We at the AEC have put forward a comprehensive platform with concrete proposals, and the campaign is ready to engage in an open and transparent process."
Major California utilities, which just reported record second quarter profits, have threatened using stock buybacks if the California legislature does not continue bailing them out for wildfire disasters they caused. Both SDG&E, SCE, and PG&E have received ratepayer-backed bailouts following backroom deals. Utilities have continued lobbying, vying for another deal.
Speakers also called for an end to utility partnerships with the company Palantir, which accumulates massive amounts of personal data sparking concerns about privacy, surveillance and government contracts.
“I can’t afford to use my heater any more because my PG&E bill is so high — and I’m not the only one. My utility money should be used to keep my lights on, not to bailout utility executives profiting off of burning down California — and not to fund companies fueling ICE terror in my community,” said Ana Gonzalez, a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).
Following the rally, attendees went on to leave comments at the CPUC, which is deliberating over more rate increases for PG&E at a time of extreme economic insecurity.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.