Sacramento, CA) – Today, Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation to prevent the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from issuing moratoriums on gas corporations providing new natural gas service connections.
In December of last year, the CPUC recommended a moratorium on all new gas service connections to commercial and industrial customers in Los Angeles County due to concerns with whether Southern California will have enough gas to heat residential homes this winter. Under this new ruling, hundreds of businesses currently under construction, from affordable housing projects and hospitals to universities, restaurants, and small businesses, will unexpectedly not be able to get natural gas service this winter.
“I’ve heard loud and clear from my constituents and people across California that this decision by the CPUC has real life-changing ramifications. There are small businesses that won’t be able to proceed with development and homes that will now have construction halted – in the middle of an established housing crisis in our state” said Assemblymember Santiago. “AB 1879 sends a clear message to the CPUC and others that we need to pause for a moment on this issue, and be deliberate and thoughtful about how we proceed with California’s energy resources and infrastructure.”
It is estimated that over 600 businesses in the Los Angeles area, several of which are located in Assemblymember Santiago’s district, will be directly impacted.
Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), a principal co-author of AB 1879 noted that, “A moratorium on natural gas would severely impact hundreds of businesses and communities throughout Southern California. Many new businesses currently under construction will be forced to stop work if there is no access to natural gas, and working men and women will lose jobs and wages.”
AB 1879 was introduced on January 17th, 2018 and will likely be heard in the Assembly Utilities & Energy Committee in late February/early March.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly’s Communications and Conveyance Committee, and a member of both the Assembly Energy Committee and the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He represents the 53rd District composed of the
cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.
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Jackie Koenig
Chief of Staff
Assembly Member Miguel Santiago
(916) 319-2053 MAIN
(916) 319-2153 FAX