Sen. Steve Bradford Blamed his fellow lawmakers Tuesday for California’s struggles to keep energy affordable and reliable, adding to a growing chorus of concerns about the cost of energy.
“We find ourselves here today with these challenges because our legislation has been more aspirational than practical,” Bradford, a Democrat, told a group of state energy leaders.
Bradford, who chairs the Senate Energy and Utilities Committee, added: “Consumers are feeling this and we need to be more practical in what we are trying to do.”
The Los Angeles-area senator made these comments during an oversight hearing on California’s power grid. But they come as concerns about energy bills draw the attention of state leaders. Governor Gavin Newsom want to push through a plan to reduce those prices before Aug. 31, the end of the state’s legislative session.
Under current lawAll of California’s electricity must come from renewable, zero-carbon sources by 2045. Along the way, lawmakers have demanded that the state reach 90% before 2036.
The goals respond to calls for California leaders to take more ambitious steps to curb the effects of climate change. But they are causing a delicate balancing act for state energy officials: how to increase clean energy while ensuring it is reliable and abundant, especially when faced with more severe weather events.
In 2022, close to the Labor Day holiday, the state narrowly avoided blackouts amid a record heat wave. If this type of event were to occur again this summer, Shiva Gundamember of the California Energy Commission, told lawmakers that California’s grid should be able to handle it due to better storage and additional capacity.
“We do not anticipate any deficiencies.”
In that vein, Newsom’s office said Tuesday that state agencies and utilities have received a $600 million federal grant to upgrade electrical transmission.
Despite recent advances, Bradford said state energy officials were trying to make the transition with their arms tied behind their backs because of policies passed by the Legislature. Bradford, who has reached his term limit, is running to become lieutenant governor of the state in 2026.
At the beginning of the hearing, Senator Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, said state lawmakers are trying to push a 120 mph energy transition. The problem, he said, is that California faces a winding road with lots of potholes.
These obstacles include uncertain weather events, a smaller-than-expected budget, and people leaving the state due to rising prices.
“The faster we go through these curves,” Seyarto said, “the better chance we have of running off the road.”
