Member News

Every year on the second Sunday in May, Americans celebrate the mothers in their lives. Often with flowers. 
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Leading up to Mother’s Day, America imports just over $250 million of cut flowers.
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But now they are subject to 10% tariffs, creating a $25 million Mother’s Day Tax.
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• This tax will not only affect families, but also the over 11,000 florists across the country.
• Given that 80% of all cut flowers sold in the U.S. are imported, if these tariffs remain in place, over the course of the next year, it will impact Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and other occasions with a flower tax totaling over $210 million.

Why it matters: It isn’t just flowers. Tariffs are increasing costs for Americans and creating massive disruptions that put small businesses at risk.
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What they’re saying: Brittany Hizer, co-founder and COO of Pluie, in Keller, Texas said higher duties make it more expensive to import the materials her company needs to make diaper-changing products:
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“The 25% tariff imposed on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. will be a huge expense to our commercial products. In addition, we are also facing increased tariffs for our diaper changing table parts made in China… Our consumer products recently launched in 2024 are made in China. We are very concerned and already seeing small businesses, especially in our female-founded business community, fold in advance of the tariff increases taking place."
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What we’re doing: The U.S. Chamber is calling for immediate tariff relief for small businesses and to provide tariff exclusions for products that cannot be made in the U.S. or threaten American jobs.

How the General Rate Case Supports Customers

The Net-Energy Metering (NEM) program originally began in California in 1996 as a subsidy provided to energy customers to incentivize consumer rooftop solar, and it worked! With the goal of 10,000 rooftop solar systems, today there are approximately two million in the state.

The Issue: This subsidy comes at a cost. Contrary to common perception, the NEM subsidy in no way negatively affects SCE’s revenues or profits. Instead, it is paid for by customers who don't have rooftop solar. Today, NEM subsidies make up about 21 – 27 percent of non-solar customer bills. Cal Advocates projects rooftop solar incentives cost non-solar customers $8.5 billion in 2024 alone. This cost-shift on average adds hundreds of dollars per year to non-solar customer bills and disproportionately impacts low-income, seniors and other disadvantaged communities.

The CPUC revisited the state's NEM program in 2022 and adopted the Solar Billing Plan (SBP/NBT) for customers that installed solar systems after April 2023. This was a step in the right direction, as it gave energy credits based on the actual value of the electricity to the grid rather than the retail prices given through NEM. It also incentivized battery storage. By using battery storage and shifting energy use to off-peak times, SBP/NBT helps make the electric grid more reliable and reduces strain during high-demand periods.

While this was a step in the right direction, legacy NEM customers who installed solar before April 2023) are still disproportionately offloading their fixed costs (the costs to maintain the grid and mandated energy efficiency and assistance programs) onto the customers who do not have solar and can least afford it. To address this we need policies that support equitable rates for all customers. Other states and California publicly-owned utilities have shown that it's possible to grow the rooftop solar market in a way that doesn't force others to pay for subsidies that disproportionately benefit those who were able to install rooftop solar. To learn more: Sustainable Path for Solar Power | Energized by Edison

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