The credit is the first of its kind that the City of Gridley has extended to its customers

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – As part of an 11-item agenda list, Gridley City Council approved a resolution at their August 16^th meeting, authorizing the issuance of a California Climate Credit to City of Gridley Residential Electric Customers.

Under the California Legislature act Assembly Bill 32, “The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006” to reduce greenhouse gases, public owned utilities like those of the City of Gridley are subject to rules, regulations and are issued “allowances” from the State and under the California Cap and Trade Program. Those allowances can be allocated to the Cap-and-Trade Auctions, the funds generated from their sale to be used to advance policy adjectives under the AB 32 act.  Item 9 on the City’s Agenda was a recommendation to adopt a resolution approving the City Administrator to issue a “Climate Change Credit” to existing Gridley utilities customers, in accordance with the intent of AB 32.

Gridley City Administrator, Cliff Wagner, addressed the council saying about the resolution, “As you are all aware, this past year with COVID-19, has placed a range of very real stresses on city residents, including our residential electric utility customers.” He went on to explain that, under the Cap-and-Trade program, the City had the opportunity to distribute some of the accumulated funds from the sales of allocated allowances, to “provide direct utility relief in the form of a climate change credit.” If passed, the proposed credit of $200 would be reflected as a climate change credit on the invoices of 2,430 residential utility customers currently in the City of Gridley. The resolution was met with approval and passed unanimously.

City Administrator Wagner believes that the credit is the first of its kind that the City of Gridley has extended to its customers and that it is allegedly one of the larger credits to be applied to residential utilities accounts in comparison to other municipalities in the area. Residential utility customers in the City of Gridley can expect to see the Climate Change Credit of $200 on their accounts regardless of whether they are or are not in arrearage.