BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 628
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 24, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                     AB 628 (Gorell) - As Amended:  May 8, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              Utilities and  
          Commerce     Vote:                            14-0
                        Jobs, Economic Development, Economy            9-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill authorizes harbor and port districts, in collaboration  
          with an electrical corporation or publicly owned utility to  
          prepare energy management plans to reduce air emissions and  
          promote economic development.   This bill also authorizes  
          financing for harbor and port improvements through the  
          California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state fiscal impact. The I-bank already has broad  
          authority to finance public agencies and other eligible  
          entities.  The PUC will not require additional resources for the  
          purposes of the bill.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale.   According to the author, California ports are an  
            essential contributor to the state's economy. Port activities  
            employ more than half-a-million people in California and  
            generate an estimated $7 billion in state and local tax  
            revenue annually. But increasing competition along the North  
            American coast and Mexican Ports are threatening to attract  
            business away from California.  The trend will increase after  
            the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014.  

            In order to maintain California's competitive edge,  this bill  
            is intended to help stabilize energy supply and costs for all  
            ports statewide. 









                                                                  AB 628
                                                                  Page  2

           2)Energy Management Plans  .  Energy management plans are  
            comprehensive strategies for monitoring, controlling, and  
            conserving energy.  This is primarily accomplished through a  
            systemic analysis of current energy consumption in order to  
            identify areas of suboptimal energy usage.  The resulting data  
            is used to identify baseline energy usage metrics and  
            opportunities for cost-effective energy savings measures  
            through upgrades to high-efficiency equipment and systems, and  
            promoting efficient behaviors by workers. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081