Energy Program News

We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for his rapid response to a limited but never-the-less unwanted glitch in the Million Solar Roofs program. By convening a bipartisan meeting of legislators and solar advocates, the governor’s office was able to reach agreement on a temporary stay to mandatory time-of-use rates for new solar installations, a requirement that works for most consumers in the state but not all, and that is proving to be a disincentive for many consumers in the high-desert region in particular.

Solar power is an obvious solution to California’s energy and environmental problems and all barriers to solar power must be immediately removed. We applaud the Governor and the state legislators, particularly Assemblymember Bonnie Garcia, who personally attended the governor’s meeting on the matter yesterday. Also deserving of thanks is Assemblymembers Lloyd Levine, Rick Keene, John Benoit and Senators Christine Kehoe, Bob Dutton and Jim Battin. 

Ideally, the agreement will be introduced as an emergency bill next week and be signed by the Governor by early June. Ultimately, this fix is only temporary, however. So, we’ll need the leadership of the governor, along with the legislature and the Public Utilities Commission to sort out a permanent fix so that we don’t see this problem re-appear in a few years.

For more information, visit www.environmentcalifornia.org