As California power bills rise, lawmakers express frustrations with state energy goals
Sen. Steven Bradford cast blame on his fellow lawmakers Tuesday for California’s struggles to keep energy affordable and reliable, adding to a growing chorus of concerns over the cost of power.
“We find ourselves here today with these challenges because our legislation has been more aspirational than practical,” Bradford, a Democrat, told a group of state energy leaders.
Bradford, who chairs the Senate’s energy and utilities committee, added: “Consumers are feeling this and we need to be more practical in what we’re trying to do.”
The Los Angeles-area senator made those comments during an oversight hearing on California’s electric grid. But they come as concerns about power bills have grabbed the attention of state leaders. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to push through a plan to lower those prices before Aug. 31, the end of the state’s legislative session.
Under current law, all of California’s electricity must come from renewable and zero-carbon sources by 2045. On the way there, lawmakers required the state to hit 90% before 2036.
The goals are in response to calls for California leaders to take more ambitious action to stem the effects of climate change. But they are causing a delicate balance for state energy officials: How to increase clean energy while also making sure it is reliable and plentiful, especially when faced with more severe weather events.
In 2022, around the Labor Day holiday, the state barely avoided rolling blackouts amid a record heatwave. If that type of event were to occur again this summer, Siva Gunda, a member of the California Energy Commission, told lawmakers California’s grid should be able to handle it because of better storage and added capacity.
“We don’t anticipate any shortfalls.”
Along those lines, Newsom’s office said Tuesday that state agencies and utilities were awarded a $600 million federal grant to upgrade electric transmission.
Despite recent advancements, Bradford said state energy officials were trying to make the transition with their arms tied behind their back because of policies passed by the Legislature. Bradford, who has reached his term limit, is running to become the state’s lieutenant governor in 2026.
Earlier in the hearing, Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, said state lawmakers are trying to push an energy transition at 120 mph. The problem, he said, is California is facing a curvy road with a bunch of potholes in it.
Those obstacles include uncertain weather events, a smaller budget than expected and people leaving the state due to rising prices.
“The faster we go through those curves,” Seyarto said, “the more chances we are going to get that we will run off the road.”
