California State Senate Greenlights Jerry McNerney’s Bill to Protect Ratepayers from Utilities’ Abuses

The California state Senate on Monday greenlighted Sen. Jerry McNerney, SB 24, Protecting Ratepayers from Utilities’ Abuses. 

SB 24 would close legal loopholes and strengthen state law to prevent investor-owned utilities (IOUs), like SoCalGas, PG&E, and others, from using ratepayer funds to pay for political lobbying and campaigns and political advertising. 

SB 24 would also bar IOUs from using ratepayer dollars to lobby against local efforts to create a municipal utility. 

“As utility bills soar and IOUs pocket billions in record profits, it’s unconscionable that those same utilities would use their customers’ money to finance expensive lobbying and political campaigns,” said Sen. McNerney, who is a member of the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee. “With the passage of SB 24 today, the California Senate sent a clear message to utilities: Stop wasting ratepayer funds on politics and lobbying activities that should be paid by shareholders.”

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