Golden State Water Company Lauds State Legislature for Leadership to Support Conservation Amid Historic Drought
Diverse Coalition of Labor, Consumer, Business and Industry Groups Urge Governor to Sign Legislation
San Dimas, Calif., September 1, 2022 – Today, Golden State Water Company (Golden State Water), one of California’s largest state-regulated investor-owned utilities serving more than one million customers, applauded state lawmakers for passing legislation critical to advancing California’s mission to preserve nature’s most precious resource. This week the California Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) 1469 and in the Assembly, the measure earned a sweeping majority, reflecting momentum and widespread support for the legislation.
“At a time when California is facing three consecutive years of severe drought, the State Legislature’s passage of SB 1469 could not be timelier. If signed into law, water providers will have a powerful tool they can use in supporting Governor Newsom and the State in achieving critically important water conservation goals,” said Golden State Water Company President and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Sprowls. “Californians are tremendously grateful to Senator Bradford for his leadership and steadfast commitment to building a broad base of support for this measure. We commend Senator Becker, along with our statewide coalition of supporters, and special thanks to Assemblymember Chris Holden for advancing SB 1469.”
SB 1469, authored by Senators Steven Bradford and Josh Becker, will ensure water providers and state regulators have the tools necessary to support customer conservation and affordable rates. The measure provides the option for water providers to collect the revenues required to safely operate and upgrade water systems. The legislation adopts the regulatory tool of decoupling, which removes the linkage between water providers’ financial performance and the amount of water they sell, creating greater incentives to promote water conservation programs, and investments in clean and reliable water systems.
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About Golden State Water Company
Golden State Water Company (Golden State Water) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR). Golden State Water provides water service to over 1 million customers throughout 10 counties in Northern, Coastal and Southern California.
About American States Water Company
American States Water Company (NYSE:AWR) is also the parent of Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc. and American States Utility Services, Inc. Through its electric utility subsidiary, Bear Valley Electric Service, Inc., the company distributes electricity to approximately 24,700 customer connections in the City of Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas in San Bernardino County, California. Through its contracted services subsidiary, American States Utility Services, Inc., the company provides operations, maintenance and construction management services for water distribution, wastewater collection and treatment facilities located on eleven military bases in eight states under 50-year privatization contracts with the U.S. government.