Utility Rebates Headed To Southern Californians
Gas and electric bills are set to drop — in some cases, dramatically — thanks to a state program. The California Public Utilities Commission has announced that another round of rebates will be sent to Southern Californians later this year. This is the largest round of credits passed down to ratepayers since California implemented a cap-and-trade program in 2014. The credits are intended to offset potential cost increases utilities may pass on to consumers to comply with state emissions mandates. Notable utilities such as Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas and Electric, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are excluded from the program. The rebates are part of the first-in-the-nation program started with AB 32 in 2006. The program aims to reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, with the goal being to cut emissions 40% below 1990 levels in 2023 and 80% below 1890 levels by 2050.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 2 เดือนที่แล้ว โดย Chris Lindahl ใน Environment
And even more good news: Another round of rebates will be sent later this year. The pair of rebates are the largest round of credits passed down to ratepayers since California implemented the system in 2014 as part of a cap-and-trade program designed to reduce state emissions.
The credits are meant to help offset any potential cost increases that utilities pass along to consumers in order to comply with the mandates, according to the California Public Utilities Commission. The exact amount of the rebates varies among utility companies.
For electric, Southern California Edison customers will receive an $86 credit in April and a second, identical rebate in October. San Diego Gas and Electric Customers will receive two $78.22 credits, one in April and another in October.
Notably absent from the list are publicly owned utilities such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Only investor-owned utilities and community choice aggregators are included in the program. The credits are issued as part of the state's first-in-the-nation cap-and-trade program, which started with AB 32 in 2006. The bill set targets for California to implement greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, which the state met four years early. The next goal was to cut emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2023 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. The "cap" in cap-and-trade refers to a decreasing limit on the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted each year. The "trade" part refers to the exchange of pollution allowances by utilities and other greenhouse-gas emitters. The number of allowances go down each year, giving utilities an incentive to cut emissions. Utilities are granted a certain number of allowances by the state each year, which they can sell at auction — with the proceeds going toward a further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or back to customers in the form of the April and October climate credits, according to the CPUC.