California Farm Bureau Supports Effort to Reduce Electricity Rates AB 2700
Published Friday, April 10, 2026
California Farm Bureau has submitted a letter in support of Assembly Bill 2700 by James Gallagher, R-Yuba City, a bill aimed at addressing rising electricity costs by directing the California Public Utilities Commission to develop recommendations to reduce per-kilowatt-hour electricity rates by at least 30% by Jan. 1, 2028. The bill would require the CPUC to review non-cost-effective public-purpose programs, evaluate unevaluated programs, audit wildfire mitigation costs claimed by utilities and identify opportunities to reduce unreasonable expenses while considering reforms to the climate credit.
Farm Bureau emphasized that reliable and affordable electricity is essential for farming and ranching operations, including irrigation, refrigeration, food processing and other on-farm infrastructure, and that continued rate increases threaten the viability of many agricultural operations. Farm Bureau also supports the bill’s approach to addressing verified restitution shortfalls for victims of pre-July 12, 2019, utility-caused wildfires without authorizing additional rate recovery for those payments, viewing it as a balanced effort to promote affordability, accountability and long-term rate stability.
Staff contacts: Karen Norene Mills at kmills@cfbf.com and Abby Carlson at acarlson@cfbf.com.
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