Assembly Bill 2255 is the latest attempt to require California ratepayers finance the bailout of the Eagle Mountain project.
The bill calls for a study, then quickly pivots to create an unprecedented procurement process by the California Independent System Operator so that agency could become the Eagle Mountain power buyer.
With this legislation, California Independent System Operator could manipulate the energy market by buying storage projects from favored corporations and collecting the costs through the “transmission access charge,” paid for by California ratepayers who are already struggling to pay their bills.
The transmission access charge is overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, meaning this new system would expose California ratepayers to the whims of regulators in Washington, D.C.
These bills, and whatever other legislative effort NextEra has in mind to force the procurement of its project on the backs of California ratepayers, would fail on both counts.
