Speaker Rivas won’t pass energy affordability package. Will there be a special session?
Lawmakers in the Assembly will not move forward with a package of bills aimed at lowering energy costs for Californians, Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Salinas, said Friday.
The announcement leaves the future uncertain for a bill package put forward by Gov. Gavin Newsom meant to alleviate gasoline price spikes and high electricity bills. The governor and Rivas have said they support reconvening in a special session to approve the package.
Senate President pro Tem Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, supported moving ahead with the bills before the legislature’s midnight Saturday deadline to pass bills. But members of the Assembly had reservations about the last-minute legislation.
“If the Governor calls a special session, we’re going to do the work and deliver results,” Rivas said in a statement Friday. “What I’m not going to do is push through bills that haven’t been sufficiently vetted with public hearings. Doing so could lead to unintended consequences on Californians’ pocketbooks.”
The Speaker said his chamber “has been ready to stop skyrocketing prices at the gas pump and deliver significant relief to Californians to lower their monthly energy bills. We shared our affordability legislative proposals in June, and we’re on the same page with Governor Newsom about the absolute urgency of getting this done.”
“Not trying to sound like a broken record but sticking to the same tune here — we’re ready to get the bills passed, sent to the Governor, and signed into law,” McGuire said in a statement Friday.
Newsom’s office reiterated a statement Friday that “whether it’s during this legislative session or in a special session, the Governor remains focused on the ultimate goal — lowering costs for Californians.”
The package includes SB 950, which would require oil refiners to maintain reserve stockpiles of gasoline to prevent shortages in case of unplanned maintenance. The bill is currently parked in the Assembly Rules Committee.
According to analysis by the California Energy Commission, the stockpile proposal could mitigate short-term price spikes but could create shortages in some markets and increase storage costs.
Oil refiners are also opposed to the bill. In a letter sent Friday to the CEC, Chevron it would create safety risks by giving “an unelected body with no refining experience or expertise unbridled authority over details of maintenance and compliance work.”
The company said building one storage tank in order to comply with the bill could “take a decade and cost $35 million.
Legislative Republicans had also opposed the bill and applauded Rivas for refusing to bring to the floor.
“Just like any other proposal, Newsom’s bill to raise gas prices must be fully scrutinized during an open public hearing, where all its consequences can be properly heard and considered,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones, R-San Diego.
“This announcement is a significant victory for Californians—not just at the gas pump, but also in protecting our democratic process. I thank Assembly Speaker Rivas for defending the integrity of the legislative process and telling the governor no.”
The Senate adjourned Friday just after 3 p.m. and planned to reconvene at 1 p.m. Saturday for the final stretch of bill passing.
This story was originally published August 30, 2024 at 5:46 PM.