Environment California submits letter on behalf of 173 groups calling on Gov. Newsom, CPUC to save solar
On Friday, December 9, Environment California submitted a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and commissioners of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to save rooftop solar in California. The letter is in response to a CPUC proposal that would slash rooftop solar incentives in California by 75%, risking the continued growth of clean energy in the state. The text of the letter is included below:
Dear Members of the California Public Utilities Commission (cc: Governor Newsom)
California set out to be a national leader in clean energy in 2006 with the goal of putting solar on one million rooftops. The state displayed its leadership once again in 2018 by committing to 100% clean electricity, and also in 2022 by setting bold interim targets to get there. However, California’s position as a national clean energy leader is at risk if the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) newest proposed decision on net energy metering (NEM) is adopted. As climate, clean energy, conservation, faith, and environmental justice leaders from across the country, we urge you to defend California’s highly successful solar incentive program by directing the CPUC to issue an alternate proposed decision.
The proposal put forth by the CPUC would discourage Californians from investing in solar panels by slashing the subsidies they would receive by 75%, making it more expensive to go solar at a time when we should be accelerating our shift to clean energy. While this proposal is a modest improvement upon the CPUC’s previous proposed decision, it is still too extreme. The state should encourage more adoption of rooftop solar, not less. If adopted in its current form, this proposal would disincentivize consumer adoption of the very technologies that will enable California to achieve its greenhouse gas reduction plans and grid resiliency in the face of ongoing blackouts and public safety power shutoffs.
History shows that when drastic cuts are made to NEM programs, people stop putting panels on their rooftops. Nevada’s January 2016 cut to NEM compensation was followed by a 47% reduction in residential solar installations over the next year (compared with the 12 months preceding the change). The September 2017 restoration of net metering was followed by an increase in solar adoption that eventually led residential rooftop solar adoption to return to its earlier level.
In California, the Imperial Irrigation District abandoned net metering in July 2016, causing residential solar installations to fall from a peak of more than 11 MW per year to less than 2 MW annually two years later – a decline of 88%.
Rooftop solar is key to California’s clean energy transition, and we should be speeding up our progress. Under existing policies rooftop solar has become increasingly accessible for low- and middle-income families in the last decade, according to data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This trend towards more solar accessibility across income levels, however, will not continue if it becomes more expensive to go solar under the new CPUC proposal.
Now is not the time for California to backslide. California’s electricity grid was severely strained during September’s heat wave, and we continue to watch the climate emergency accelerate with each additional wildfire, day of extreme heat, and year of drought. Rooftop solar, especially when paired with battery storage, is critical to protecting the environment by reducing dirty and dangerous fossil fuel pollution, protecting fragile habitats and natural areas, and creating a more resilient electricity grid.
California cannot help lead the nation to a 100% clean energy future without empowering its 40 million residents and businesses to put solar panels on their rooftops and batteries in their homes and buildings.
We urge the CPUC to issue an alternate proposed decision that allows rooftop solar and solar paired with battery storage to continue to grow. The alternate proposed decision should fairly compensate solar and solar plus storage customers for the true value that they are adding to the grid, more gradually phase out existing solar compensation rates, and ensure strong solar incentives going forward that align with our climate and clean energy goals.
Sincerely,
Steven King, Environment California
Monica Embrey, Sierra Club California
Liz Robinson, Philadelphia Solar Energy Association
Laura Neish, 350 Bay Area
Jennifer Tanner, Indivisible CA Green Team
Caroline Henderson, Greenpeace
Glen Brand, Solar United Neighbors
Roger Lin, Center for Biological Diversity
Allis Druffel, California Interfaith Power and Light
Nick Jensen, California Native Plant Society
Mary Brooks, Mountain Progressives
Gerald Meral, Natural Heritage Institute
Emily Brandt, San Joaquin Valley Democratic Club
Pauline Seales, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
Yvonne Elkin, Indivisible Resistance San Diego
Jack Eidt, SoCal 350 Climate Action
Janey Robinson, Indivisible Media City
Eileen Austen, East Valley Indivisibles
Jan Dietrick, 350 Ventura County Climate Hub
Jill ZamEk, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace
Jill ZamEk, Mothers for Peace
Eric Brooks, Californians for Energy Choice
Kristine Johnson, St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church
Katie Ricklefs, Democratic Party of Contra Costa County
Lani Faulkner, Equity Transit
Magi Amma, Santa Cruz for Bernie
Magi Amma, The Climate Alliance of Santa Cruz County
Linda Seeley, Biodiversity First!
Nancy Macy, Valley Women’s Club Environmental Committee for the SLV
Jed Pauker, Venice Resistance
Joyce Lane, San Diego 350
Lynda Marin, Citizens Climate Lobby Santa Cruz
Suzanne Hume, CleanEarth4Kids.org
Ellie Cohen, The Climate Center
Michelle Merrill, Novasutras
Tom Benthin, Indivisible Sonoma County
Genevieve Guenther, End Climate Silence
Dennis Arp, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, SoCal Tri-Counties Chapter
Robert Gould, MD, San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility
Kenneth Unger, Indivisible San Pedro
Andy Carman, Environteers.org
Bill Allayaud, Environmental Working Group
Susan Morgan, Indivisible Marin
Janet Cox, Climate Action California
Cheryl Auger, Ban SUP
Dr. Rev Ambrose Carroll, Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics
Dr. Rev Ambrose Carroll, Green the Church
Francisco Moreno, COFEM
Haley Ehlers, Climate First: Replacing Oil and Gas
Esperanza Vielma, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Mary Leslie, Los Angeles Business Council
Willow Katz, End Solitary Santa Cruz County
Lisa Swanson, Climate Reality Project Orange County Chapter
Jenn Engstrom, CALPIRG
Clara Castronovo, CALPIRG Students
Debbie Mytels, Peninsula Interfaith Climate Action
Katie Huffling, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
Sam Ricketts, Evergreen Action
Mikey Knab, Climate Action Campaign
Maryam Dallawar, Sunrise Movement Orange County
Lucero Sanchez, San Diego Coastkeeper
Harry Wang, Physicians for Social Responsibility Sacramento
Tara Hammond, Hammond Climate Solutions Foundation
Tara Hammond, San Diego Climate Hub
Karinna Gonzalez, Hammond Climate Solutions
Adam Aron, Green New Deal at UC San Diego
Marilyn Bruno, Aequor Inc.
Stephen Wheeler, Fossil Free UCD
Ector Olivares, Catholic Charities of Stockton
Rebecca Emigh, CANUCLA
Jay Buys, Visceral
Karen Nelson, Climate Reality, Silicon Valley
Marian Sedio, North County Climate Change Alliance
Lori Saldana, Protect Our Communities Foundation
Cherry Robinson, Climate Reality Project San Diego
Derede Arthur, UCSC Climate Coalition
Michael Thaller, Progressive Democrats of America- California
Sonja Robinson, Sustainable Urban Network
Scott Borden, Emerald Blue LCC
Michael J. Painter, Californians for Western Wilderness
Norma Alcal, California Democratic Council
Dave Shukla, Long Beach Alliance for Clean Energy
Mark Carrel, Breathe Southern California
Peter Sloan, SanDiego350
Thomas Wheeler, Environmental Protection Information Center
Bart Ziegler, Samuel Lawrence Foundation
Eileen Mitro, Climate Action Mendocino
Kevin Hamilton, Central California Asthma Collaborative
Johanna Neumann, Environment America
Tara Barauskas, Climate Reality Los Angeles
Stephanie Doyle, Vote Solar
Patrick Kelly-Fisher, Environmental Action
Liat Meitzenheimer, Fresh Air Vallejo
Andrew Truman Kim, Innovation & Sustainability PAC
Amy Woodsen, Indivisible Westside LA
Micah Perlin, California Climate Voters
Gary Ding, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action
Anita Ghazarian, Indivisible Alta Pasadena
Rebecca Elliot, Indivisible San Jose
Ruth Richardson, Rooted in Resistance -Indivisible
Adriene Couter, Indivisible Ventura
Tina Cahill, Indivisible Sacramento
Darlene Patrick, Indivisible Stanislaus
James William, San Joaquin Valley Democratic Club
Jennifer Levin, Hang Out Do Good
Sherry Lear, 350 South Bay LA
Tama Becker-Varano, Change Begins With Me
Francesca Wander, Indivisible San Francisco
Michelle Fowle, The Resistance Indivisible Northridge
Mary Perner, Livermore Indivisible
Angela Marshall, Indivisible Santa Cruz County
Doug Bender, Indivisible South Bay LA
Ogie Strogatz, Indivisible Resisters Walnut Creek
Ogie Strogatz, 350 Contra Costa Action
Jessica Craven, Indivisible CA-34 Womens Feminists In Action
Janeen Pederson, Stand Strong LA Indivisible
Wayne Morgan, The Climate Reality Project, Ventura County Chapter
Linda Brown, Napa Climate Now
Dorothy Reik, Progressive Democrats of Santa Monica Mountains
Alan Weiner, 350 Conejo Valley
Indivisible East Bay Governance Committee
Karla Albright, Together We Will Indivisible Los Gatos
Sanford Krasner, Citizens Climate Lobby, Pasadena Foothills Chapter
Jim Gallagher Chino Valley Democrats
Rose Ann Witt, Conejo Climate Coalition
John Mattes, Hillcrest Indivisible
Merrill Berge, Camarillo Sustainable Growth
Ben Schwartz, Clean Coalition
Kevin Emmerich, Basin and Range Watch
Laura Cunningham, Western Watersheds Project
Amar Shergill, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus
Leah Redwood, Extinction Rebellion SF Bay
Carol Coyote Cook, Our Revolution East Bay
Susan George, Progressive Zionists of America
Bonnie Hamilton, Climate Reality Bay Area Chapter
Igor Traub, Alameda County Democratic Party
Igor Traub, California Democratic Party Environmental Caucus
Mari Perez-Ruiz, CADEM Renters Council
Paola Laverde, Berkeley Tenants Union
Nancy Treviño, Alianza Americas/Presente.org
Keith Umemoto, California Alliance for Retired Americans
Jose Torre-Bueno, Center for Community Energy
Doug Jones, SEIU-UHW
Chirag Guvantbhai Bhakta, Food and Water Watch
Eric Veium, SLO Climate Coalition
Alice Sung, Greenbank Associates
Silke Valentine, 350Marin
Barbara Stebbins, California Alliance for Community Energy
Cheryl Weiden, 350 Silicon Valley
Paula Bauer, United Democrats of Southern Solano County
Jessica Mitchell, Ecology Center
Matt Leonard, Oil and Gas Action Network
Raj Fadadu, Environmental Health Working Group
Annie Stuart, 350 Petaluma
Bailey Henderson, Office of the ASUC External Affairs Vice President
RL Miller, Climate Hawks Vote
Nicky Gott, Sunrise Bay Area
Maureen Forney, NorCal Broads
Margaret Meyncke, SoCal Broads
Gary Gerber, Sun Light & Power
Christine Granger, Cool Davis
Linda Currie, Transition Berkeley
Russ Speer, Water Holistic West, LLC
Melodie Aduja, Environmental Caucus, Democratic Party of Hawaii
Gopal Shanker, Récolte Energy
Ash Lauth, Action for the Climate Emergency
Pamela Richart, Eco-Justice Collaborative
Lynne Plambeck, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment (SCOPE)
Pamela Drake, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club
Emma Martin, The Center for Independent Living, Inc.
Jessica Tovar, Local Clean Energy Alliance
Lynda Deschambault, Contra Costa County Climate Leaders
Kelly Herbinson, Mojave Desert Land Trust
Topics
Authors
Steven King
Clean Energy Advocate, Environment California
Steven leads Environment California’s campaigns to increase clean, renewable energy throughout the Golden State, spearheading efforts to transition away from dangerous fossil fuels and address climate change. Steven lives in Los Angeles where he enjoys spending time outdoors, watching his favorite L.A. sports teams, and playing the trombone.