Decent work on climate, thanks to Gavin Newsom

CALIFORNIA Thanks partly to pressure from Newsom, lawmakers struck a series of deals to limit electric rate increases, boost clean-energy supplies and extend an emissions-reduction programme called cap-and-trade

- Sammy Roth, Tribune News Service

Last month, I wrote that California is backsliding on climate, and that it’s mostly Gov. Gavin Newsom's fault. I took him and his appointees to task for undermining rooftop solar, propping up the Aliso Canyon gas field and slowing implementation of a single-use plastics recycling law, among other offenses. So it’s only fair that I give him credit for his actions last week, at the close of the legislative session.

Thanks partly to pressure from Newsom, lawmakers struck a series of deals to limit electric rate increases, boost clean-energy supplies and extend an emissions-reduction program called cap-and-trade. Environmentalists were justifiably furious over a deal to advance oil drilling in Southern California's Kern County — a painful compromise that lawmakers may come to regret. But the state's top politicians did some valuable work, too.

Here's what they accomplished—and why the next governor needs to do a lot more.

Electric rates: Legislators passed several bills meant to help reduce the cost of electricity — a top priority for lawmakers looking to tackle the state's high cost of living, and also a smart move for climate progress. People are more likely to drive electric cars, and install electric heat pumps to warm and cool their homes, if electricity is less expensive. Perhaps most important is Senate Bill 254, which reins in utility profits. Investor-owned utilities don’t profit on electricity sales; they charge customers only what the companies paid to buy or generate the power. But shareholders of such utilities — namely Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electricity — typically earn about 10% when the companies invest in infrastructure, such as new power lines. Those profits come from the monthly bills paid by utility customers.