Your Power Bill. Your Money. Your Right to Know.
Utility companies charge you for their ads, their lobbying, and their CEO bonuses. This bill stops that—and lets you plug in your own solar panel without asking anyone's permission.
You're Paying for Their Ads, Lobbyists, and Bonuses
California ratepayers pay more than double the national average for electricity. Where does the money go? Utility companies bury their advertising costs, their lobbying expenses, and their executive bonuses in your monthly bill. They charge you to sell you things you already have to buy. And they don't even tell you they're doing it.
California electricity costs over $0.35/kWh in some areas. The national average is $0.17. That's more than double—and ratepayers don't get double the value.
Utility lobbying, image ads, and political spending get buried in your rates. You're paying for billboards that sell you electricity you can't buy from anyone else.
Executive compensation packages worth millions get passed through to ratepayers. Your light bill subsidizes their bonus. Nobody told you.
Want to plug a small solar panel into your apartment? Utilities require interconnection agreements, permits, fees, and licensed electricians for an 800-watt device. Renters and low-income families are shut out.
Every Ad Says Who Paid for It
Starting 180 days after this bill passes, every utility ad in America must say whether you paid for it or their shareholders did. On TV, in print, online, on billboards—clear, visible, standardized. And some costs can never be charged to you again.
🚫 Banned from Your Bill
These costs can never be charged to ratepayers again. Period.
All political lobbying. Promotional image advertising. Executive compensation above 50x the median employee salary. Any ad that doesn't directly benefit ratepayers.
📋 Mandatory Disclosures
Every ad, every year, every utility in the country.
"PAID BY SHAREHOLDERS" or "PAID BY RATEPAYERS" on every ad. Annual transparency report: total ad spending, lobbying costs, top 10 executive salaries, CEO-to-median pay ratio. Mailed summary to every customer.
Emergency Profit Cap for High-Rate Regions
If your area's electricity costs more than 150% of the national average, this bill caps how much profit the utility can make. The formula is simple: the 10-year Treasury yield plus 300 basis points. That's it. Fair return for the company, fair price for you.
Where It Applies
Any area where rates exceed 150% of national average. California's most expensive service territories would qualify immediately.
Savings Flow to You
Any reduction in authorized return must be passed to ratepayers within 90 days. No offsetting through hidden fees or service cuts.
Grid Investment Protected
Utilities can petition for exceptions when higher returns fund real improvements—reliability, safety, long-term rate reduction. But they must prove it with clear evidence.
Plug In a Solar Panel. No Permission Needed.
An 800-watt solar panel that plugs into a standard outlet is a household appliance. Not a power plant. This bill classifies it that way, bans utilities from requiring permits or fees, and protects renters who want to use them. Your toaster doesn't need an interconnection agreement. Neither does your solar panel.
800 Watts. One Plug. Zero Permits.
Plug-in solar devices with integrated inverters, automatic grid shutoff, and safety certification are legally household appliances. Buy one. Plug it in. Start saving. No electrician, no utility approval, no fees.
No Interconnection Agreement
Utilities can't require applications, permits, or approval forms for plug-in solar devices.
No Fees or Standby Charges
No capacity fees, standby charges, or extra insurance required. Ever.
Renters Protected
Tenants can install if the landlord doesn't object. No permanent modifications needed. Landlords can't charge extra rent or block lease renewal.
Safety Certified
Auto-shutoff in 50 milliseconds. Overcurrent protection. Lab certified. Shock-proof, weather-proof, and electromagnetically clean.
Federal Preemption
Overrides any state or local rule requiring interconnection agreements for plug-in solar. One national standard.
No Disconnection
Utilities cannot cut your power because you're operating a conforming plug-in solar device.
Material Efficiency: Build the Most with the Least
When utilities spend billions on new power plants, they should pick the option that uses the fewest raw materials per unit of energy. Nuclear uses one-quarter the concrete of wind. One-seventh the steel. And produces the lowest carbon emissions of any source. This bill requires utilities to disclose these numbers before ratepayers fund the construction.
| Source | Concrete (t/TWh) | Steel (t/TWh) | Carbon (gCO₂eq/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☢️ Nuclear | 1,060 | 130 | 3 |
| ☀️ Solar | 1,220 | 940 | 6 |
| 💨 Wind | 4,470 | 1,450 | 4 |
Advanced Nuclear
Small modular reactors, material-efficient, lowest carbon
Grid Storage
Batteries enabling renewable integration
Transmission
Upgrades delivering clean energy to demand centers
Distribution
Modernization supporting distributed generation
Resilience
Extreme weather hardening, wildfire mitigation
Oil Is Running Out of Useful Energy
The net-energy peak for oil happened around 2025. That doesn't mean we're running out of oil—it means we're running out of the energy profit from oil. By 2050, the energy we get back from extracting oil drops to 6.7:1, approaching the "net energy cliff" where complex society can't sustain itself. The grid has to be ready. This bill makes sure utilities invest in what works.
Rules Without Enforcement Are Suggestions
This bill has teeth. FERC can fine utilities up to $100,000 per day for violations. You can sue them personally. Your state attorney general can sue on your behalf. Whistleblowers are protected. And courts must decide challenges within 180 days.
FERC Penalties
$50K–$100K per violation per day for transparency and ROE violations
Private Lawsuits
You can sue for actual damages, $1,000 statutory damages, attorney's fees. Class actions allowed.
AG Enforcement
State attorney general can bring action on behalf of all state residents
Whistleblowers
Protected from retaliation. Reinstatement, back pay, compensatory damages.
Fast Courts
Expedited judicial review: decision within 180 days on ROE challenges
State Authority Kept
Retail rates stay with states. This supplements, not replaces, your PUC.
Costs Almost Nothing
This bill authorizes a maximum of $14.5 million per year for FERC and CPSC implementation—offset by civil penalties collected from violators. No new taxes. No ratepayer surcharges. The utilities pay their own fines, fund their own compliance, and stop charging you for things you never agreed to pay for.
What This Bill Promises
Your Power Bill. Your Money. Your Right to Know.
No more hidden charges. No more captive ratepayers. No more locked-out renters. Read the bill. Know your rights. Demand transparency.