BILL NUMBER: SB 548	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Roth

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2013

   An act to amend Section 399.18 of the Public Utilities Code,
relating to public utilities.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 548, as introduced, Roth. Public utilities: renewables
portfolio standard: publicly owned electric utility.
   Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has
regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical
corporations, as defined, while local publicly owned electric
utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing
boards. The existing California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program
(RPS program) requires a retail seller of electricity, as defined,
and local publicly owned electric utilities to purchase specified
minimum quantities of electricity products from eligible renewable
energy resources, as defined, for specified compliance periods,
sufficient to ensure that the procurement of electricity products
from eligible renewable energy resources achieves 20% of retail sales
for the period January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2013, inclusive, 25%
of retail sales by December 31, 2016, and 33% of retail sales by
December 31, 2020, and in all subsequent years. The RPS program,
consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit
eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability
principles, requires that all retail sellers procure a balanced
portfolio of electricity products from eligible renewable energy
resources, as specified (portfolio content requirements). For
electrical corporations meeting specified conditions, existing law
provides that electricity products from eligible renewable energy
resources may be used for compliance with the portfolio content
requirements if specified conditions are met.
   This bill would additionally provide that, for a publicly owned
electric utility in existence on or before January 1, 2010, that
provides 200,000 megawatt-hours or fewer of electricity to retail
end-use consumers in its service territory during a calender year,
electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources may be
used for compliance with the portfolio content requirements.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 399.18 of the Public Utilities Code is amended
to read:
   399.18.  (a) This section applies to an  electrical
corporation that as of January 1, 2010, met either  
electric utility that meets any  of the following conditions:
   (1)  Served   An electrical corporation that,
as of January 1, 2010, served  30,000 or fewer customer
accounts in California and had issued at least four solicitations for
eligible renewable energy resources prior to June 1, 2010.
   (2)  Had   An electrical corporation that, as
of January 1, 2010, had  1,000 or fewer customer accounts in
California and was not connected to any transmission system or to the
Independent System Operator. 
   (3) A local publicly owned electric utility that was in existence
on or before January 1, 2010, and that provides 200,000
megawatt-hours or fewer of electricity to retail end-use customers in
its service territory during a calendar year. 
   (b) For an  electrical corporation   electric
utility described in subdivision (a)  or its successor,
electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources may be
used for compliance with this article, notwithstanding any
procurement content limitation in Section 399.16, provided that both
of the following conditions are met:
   (1) The  electrical corporation   electric
utility described in subdivision (a)  or its successor
participates in, and complies with, the accounting system
administered by the Energy Commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of
Section 399.25.
   (2) The Energy Commission verifies that the electricity generated
by the facility is eligible to meet the requirements of Section
399.15.