Tackling Rising Energy Costs: A Call for Action
In California, energy costs stand out as a major concern for residents. Electricity prices are on the rise and gas prices fluctuate with global events. Many families face the burden of expenses they neither initiated nor can control. However, it’s important to understand that high energy prices aren’t unavoidable. Choices made by some lead to these costs.
Before serving in Congress, I worked as an environmental lawyer advocating for affordable clean energy. Data now validates my past efforts: renewable power is among the fastest and cheapest energy sources available. Blocking its integration raises costs for families.
Why Energy Costs Increase
Your energy bills increase in two main ways, and these factors are interlinked. The cost of power rises when lower-cost renewable sources are bypassed, resulting in greater reliance on unpredictable fossil fuels. Additionally, the financial burden of damage from these fuels is growing. This includes insurance, disaster recovery, and tax expenses. Both aspects are worsening and stem from similar choices made in the past.
The Consequences of Ignoring Clean Energy
The financial impact of neglecting clean energy is massive. In 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented 27 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, totaling nearly $183 billion in damages. Such disasters have cost more than $746 billion over the past five years, affecting insurance premiums, utility rates, and taxes.
Last year’s climate-driven wildfires in Los Angeles resulted in 440 deaths, displaced over 200,000 people, and caused significant damage in Altadena and Pacific Palisades. Residents bore billions in recovery costs with minimal federal assistance.
Understanding Who Benefits and Who Pays
It’s crucial to ask who gains from sidelining affordable energy and who eventually bears the costs. The fossil fuel industry spent years sowing doubt about climate change. Now, they discredit scientists and influence legal systems to avoid accountability.
The Supreme Court’s decision in Suncor v. Boulder will determine if states, tribes, and communities can seek restitution for disaster costs exacerbated by industry actions. Evidence from Exxon documents in the 1970s and 1980s demonstrates the industry’s awareness of climate risks while publicly denying them.
Efforts to Influence Scientific and Legal Systems
Efforts to undermine climate science extend to influencing legal outcomes. A Guardian report exposed a fossil fuel-backed center at George Mason University hosting seminars for judges, funded by ExxonMobil and the Charles Koch Foundation. These actions aim to instill skepticism about climate science among judges.
Allied legislative proposals aim to shield companies from liability. Former President Trump promised oil executives favorable decisions in exchange for campaign contributions, further complicating accountability efforts.
The Impact on Your Family and Efforts for Change
When polluters evade responsibility for damages, costs do not vanish but shift to you. Utility companies pass infrastructure costs onto ratepayers while serving large corporations that should pay their way. Electricity prices have risen by as much as 13% since Trump took office, and recent international events have further impacted gas prices.
I joined Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) to propose the Energy Bills Relief Act, supported by over 160 House co-sponsors. This bill promotes affordable clean energy, restores vital tax credits, invests in home efficiency and assistance for low-income families, speeds grid interconnection for lower-cost power, and ensures corporations contribute fairly.
The fossil fuel industry has long relied on strategies to deny, delay, and pass costs onto others. Americans must recognize the consequences, as costs appear directly on their bills. We must pursue better solutions for our planet and economy.
Mike Levin is a representative for California’s 49th District in Congress.