Amended in Senate June 30, 2014

Amended in Assembly May 27, 2014

Amended in Assembly April 21, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2672


Introduced by Assembly Member Perea

February 21, 2014


An act to add Section 783.5 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2672, as amended, Perea. Access to energy: disadvantaged communities: San Joaquin Valley.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical and gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law requires the commission to establish various programs that provide assistance to low-income electric and gas customers.

This bill would require the commission to require a gas corporation that provides natural gas service in the San Joaquinbegin delete Valley, by January 31, 2015, to identifyend deletebegin insert Valley to identify by January 31, 2015,end insert disadvantaged communities in the San Joaquin Valley that do not have natural gas service. The bill would require the commission, by March 31, 2015, to initiate a new proceeding to conduct an affordable energy feasibility study for those communities. The bill would require the commission to determine whether any option analyzed in the study would increase access to affordable energy in an economically viable manner. For these options, the bill would require the commission to take appropriate action and to determine appropriate funding sources.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares the following:

2(a) Many low-income communities throughout California’s San
3Joaquin Valley lack access to natural gas lines.

4(b) Increasing access to affordable energy can improve the
5health, safety, and air quality of these communities.

6

SEC. 2.  

Section 783.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
7read:

8

783.5.  

(a) begin deleteThe end deletebegin insertFor the purposes of this section, the following
9terms have the following meanings: end insert

begin insert

10(1) “Disadvantaged community” means an area of the San
11Joaquin Valley in which a high concentration of low-income
12customers of an electrical corporation are enrolled in the CARE
13program pursuant to Section 739.1.

end insert
begin insert

14(2) “San Joaquin Valley” means the counties of Fresno, Kings,
15Madera, Tulare, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Kern.

end insert

16begin insert(b)end insertbegin insertend insertbegin insertTheend insert commission shall require a gas corporation that provides
17natural gas in the San Joaquinbegin delete Valley, by January 31, 2015, to
18identifyend delete
begin insert Valley to identify by January 31, 2015,end insert disadvantaged
19communitiesbegin delete in the San Joaquin Valleyend delete that do not have natural
20gas service.

begin delete

21(b)

end delete

22begin insert(c)end insert The commission shall, by March 31, 2015, initiate a new
23proceeding to conduct an affordable energy feasibility study for
24communities identified pursuant to subdivisionbegin delete (a).end deletebegin insert (b).end insert The study
25shall include analysis of the economic feasibility of the following
26options:

27(1) Extending gas pipelines to the communities.

28(2) Increasing subsidies for electricity for individuals in those
29communities.

30(3) Other alternatives that would increase access to affordable
31energy that the commission deems appropriate.

begin delete

32(c)

end delete

P3    1begin insert(d)end insert The commission shall determine whether any of the options
2analyzed in the study would increase access to affordable energy
3in an economically viable manner. For these options, the
4commission shall take appropriate action and determine appropriate
5funding sources.



O

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