The Sacramento Bee: SoCalGas billed customers millions to fight clean energy, The Bee found. This bill could stop that
BY ARI PLACHTA
A state senator introduced a bill Wednesday to strengthen laws that prevent energy utilities in California from passing on the costs of political lobbying to their customers.
The proposed legislation comes in response to a Sacramento Bee investigation in August that found the nation’s largest gas provider, Southern California Gas Company, booked at least $36 million to ratepayers since 2019 to oppose clean energy policies.
“When I read this, I was like, ‘Holy crap, they’re using ratepayer money,’” said Sen. Dave Min, an Orange County Democrat who authored the bill. “I’m a SoCalGas customer. They’re using my money to lobby against climate regulations, and that is really messed up.”
Investor-owned utilities such as SoCalGas have “above the line” costs billed to customers and “below the line” costs drawn from corporate profits. Billing customers for anything other than providing safe and reliable energy service is a violation of state and federal law.
But such laws, Min said, are riddled with loopholes that have allowed utilities across the country to engage in political lobbying using customer money. His bill is aimed at closing several of those gaps in transparency and accountability.