SACRAMENTO, California – Assemblymember Lisa Calderon exempted public schools and farms from her proposal to reduce subsidies for some rooftop solar customers as both opponents and proponents ramp up their fight ahead of a key legislative deadline this week.
What happened: The amendments published late Monday eliminate one of several hurdles for the bill, AB 942, as it faces Friday’s deadline to pass out of its house of origin. Michael Boccadoro, who represents the Agricultural Energy Consumers Association, said in an interview that his group was removing its opposition to the bill following the exemption and that other farming groups were expected to follow.
The amendments don’t change the main premise of the bill, which is to reduce payments for customers who installed rooftop solar panels before 2023.
Why this matters: AB 942 has reignited a fiery debate over the payments, which customers get on their bills for selling their surplus energy back to the electric grid through a process called “net metering”.
