Joint CALSSA & SEIA Floor Alert Opposing Amendments
AB 1139 (Gonzalez) – OPPOSE MAY 28 AMENDMENTS!
AB 1139 (Gonzalez), even with the proposed floor amendments, will:
Extend the eligibility period of the current net energy metering policy to wealthier homeowners and large businesses with the means to purchase their solar arrays outright, while lowering that period for the very groups that Asm. Gonzalez purports to help:
lower-income homeowners (both current homeowners with solar and families aspiring to purchase their first home)
under-resourced schools, and small businesses who lack the resources to purchase the solar panels outright and must lease them or enter a power purchase agreement
Hurts California’s aspiring new homeowners and new solar home market that rely heavily on financing of solar systems
Over 400,000 existing solar users who don’t own their solar system would still be harmed by the bill! Financing options are the biggest driver in solar adoption in low- and working-class neighborhoods.
“Downward trend in solar-adopter incomes is associated primarily with third-party owned (TPO) systems, as median adopter incomes for host-owned systems have remained relatively flat over time. Across all U.S. solar adopters in 2019, 21% were <80% of AMI and 42% were <120%. LMI shares of solar adopters are trending up over time, predominantly driven by third party ownership.” – LBNL
Kill California’s rooftop solar and energy storage market by subjecting the future net metering tariff to utility profit grab language harming over 2000 small businesses and 65,000 jobs
Remove the requirement to “ensure that renewable distributed generation continues to grow sustainably” clearly revealing the intentions of this bill.
Require all solar projects built with private money on private property to be considered public works, an unprecedented expansion of existing law.
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is currently engaged in a proceeding to modify the state's net metering program. AB 1139 is not needed!