AB 270, as amended, Bradford. Public utilities: ratepayer-funded energy efficiency assistance.
(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to require electrical and gas corporations to establish various ratepayer-funded energy efficiency assistance programs. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.
This bill would require the commission to require the electrical and gas corporations to cooperate in establishing, by June 1, 2014, a publicly available Internet Web site containing specified information regarding ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs. Because a violation of this provision is a crime, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law requires the commission to prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature an annual report on the costs of programs and activities conducted by each electrical and gas corporation.
This bill would require the commission to include in that annual report information on its effort to identify ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs that are similar to programs administered by other specified state agencies and to require revisions to ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs to ensure that those programs complement and do not duplicate the programs of other state agencies.
(3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) It is in the public interest to be able to measure the
4effectiveness of energy efficiency programs to ensure that the
5state’s interest in achieving its energy efficiency and climate change
6goals are met.
7(b) Over the past 15 years, California ratepayers and taxpayers
8have spent a combined total of roughly $15 billion to support
9development of energy efficiency and renewable energy in
10California.
11(c) California currently lacks a comprehensive framework that
12coordinates
its efforts among programs administered by the Public
13Utilities Commission, the State Energy Resources Conservation
14and Development Commission, the State Air Resources Board,
15and the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation
16Financing Authority.
17(d) Current expenditures planned for energy efficiency in
182012-13 are $1 billion, and, historically, $9 billion have been
19expended for energy efficiency programs funded by California
20ratepayers.
P3 1(e) There currently exists an information gap that inhibits
2assessment and monitoring of the expenditures of ratepayer funds
3expended toward energy efficiency improvements and programs,
4and research, development, and demonstration programs.
Section 589 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
6read:
(a) In an existing or new proceeding, the commission
8shall require the electrical and gas corporations to cooperate in
9establishing a single Internet Web site available to the public that
10provides up-to-date information, no less frequent than once every
1130 days, regarding ratepayer-funded energy efficiency assistance
12programs that, to the extent the information is available, in an
13aggregate format that would not provide identifying information
14about individual customers of the electrical and gas corporations,
15include all of the following:
16(1) The types of energy efficiency measures installed.
17(2) Thebegin insert
ZIP Codeend insert location of each customer receiving
18ratepayer-funded energy efficiency assistance.
19(3) The amount of funds expended at eachbegin delete site.end deletebegin insert ZIP Code
20location.end insert
21(4) The expected annual energy savings and reduced energy
22usage expected in kilowatthours or therms.
23(b) (1) The commission shall order the electrical and gas
24corporations to establish, based on data, ratepayer-funded energy
25efficiency assistance program reports on program totals,
26geographical and monthly statistics, cost distribution, and
progress
27toward program goals.
28(2) The electrical and gas corporations shall make the reports
29available on the Internet Web site established pursuant to
30subdivision (a).
31(c) The commission shall require the electrical and gas
32corporations to publish data, including the amount expended, on
33the ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs that are not direct
34retrofits, including, but not limited to, research on building and
35appliance standards and marketing and outreach, on the Internet
36Web site established pursuant to subdivision (a).
37(d) The commission shall take necessary steps to ensure the
38Internet Web site established pursuant to subdivision (a) is
39available to the public on or before June 1, 2014.
P4 1(e) The commission shall have a link to the Internet Web site
2established pursuant to subdivision (a) on the commission’s Internet
3Web site and require the electrical and gas corporations to have a
4link to the Internet Web site established pursuant to subdivision
5(a) on the appropriate page of the Internet Web site of each
6electrical and gas corporation.
Section 747.6 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
8read:
The commission shall report annually on its effort to
10identify ratepayer-funded energy efficiency programs that are
11similar to programs administered by the Energy Commission, the
12State Air Resources Board, and the California Alternative Energy
13and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority in its annual
14report prepared pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 747 and to
15require revisions to ratepayer-funded programs, as necessary, to
16ensure that the ratepayer-funded programs complement and do not
17duplicate programs of other state agencies.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
19Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
20the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
21district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
22infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
23for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of
24the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within
25the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
26Constitution.
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