Residential, Small Business Customers To Receive 'Climate Credit' From Utilities

摘要

Customers of Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Southern California Edison and other investor-owned utilities in California will receive a "climate credit" in their electricity bills beginning April 1. Money for the climate credit, which averages $70 per household for the first year, comes from the state's cap-and-trade program. Eligible small businesses will also receive a monthly credit that varies according to the amount of electricity used. The cap-and-trade program, established under California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, requires electric utilities and other industries to buy allowances, or permits, for greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the revenue from permit auctions is used by the state to invest in clean energy.