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:
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.
Section 783.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
7read:
(a) begin deleteThe end deletebegin insertFor the purposes of this section, the following
9terms have the following meanings: end 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.
14(2) “San Joaquin Valley” means the counties of Fresno, Kings,
15Madera, Tulare, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, and Kern.
16begin insert(b)end insertbegin insert end insertbegin insertTheend insert commission shall require a gas corporation that provides
17natural gas in the San Joaquinbegin delete Valley, by January 31, 2015, to begin insert Valley to identify by January 31, 2015,end insert disadvantaged
18identifyend delete
19communitiesbegin delete in the San Joaquin Valleyend delete that do not have natural
20gas service.
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.
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.
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