Amended in Assembly June 1, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 6, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 33

Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk

December 1, 2014

An act to add begin delete Sections end delete begin insert Section end insert 38561.5 begin delete and 38561.7 end delete to the Health and Safety Code, relating to greenhouse gases.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 33, as amended, Quirk. California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: begin delete Climate Change end delete begin insert Energy Integration end insert Advisory Council.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. begin delete The act requires the state board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, to be achieved by 2020 equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions levels in 1990. end delete The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. begin insert The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission to implement annual procurement targets for the procurement of eligible renewable energy resources for all retail sellers to achieve the targets and goals of the program. end insert

This bill would establish the begin delete Climate Change end delete begin insert Energy Integration end insert Advisory Council in state government and would begin delete assign end delete begin insert require end insert the council begin delete specified duties, including, among others, developing end delete begin insert to develop recommendations for inclusion in the scoping plan prepared by the state board, including, among others, end insert an analysis of begin insert the end insert various strategies begin delete to achieve the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit. The bill also would require the state board to establish consistent metrics to accurately quantify reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, quantify public health benefits, and measure the cost-effectiveness of the various strategies identified by the council. end delete begin insert necessary for the energy grid to integrate specified annual procurement targets as part of the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program. end insert

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

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

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) Climate change is a global emissions problem.

(b) California is responsible for approximately 1 percent of the
world’s global greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, needs to
address the problem of climate change with a global perspective.

(c) Significant technological advances and major policy
initiatives that can be deployed at scale in developed and
developing countries will be necessary to transition away from
fossil fuel as the primary fuel source to allow the developed and
developing countries of the world to achieve low-carbon economic
growth.

(d) It is in the best interest of the state to ensure that greenhouse
gas emissions reduction goals are achievable by strategies that
other states and countries could reasonably adopt.

(e) Demonstrating effective climate change policy can increase
the likelihood that other states and countries will follow
California’s lead, which is necessary for the state to have a
significant effect on the global climate change problem.

end delete

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete
begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

Section 38561.5 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:

38561.5.  

(a) The begin delete Climate Change end delete begin insert Energy Integration end insert Advisory
Council is hereby established in state government, and it shall
consist of all of the begin delete following: end delete begin insert following members: end insert

begin delete

(1) The chair of the state board, or his or her designee.

end delete begin insert

(1) The chair of the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission, or his or her designee.

end insert

(2) The president of the Public Utilities Commission, or his or
her designee.

(3) The begin delete chair of the governing board end delete begin insert president end insert of the California
Independent System Operator, or his or her designee.

(4) The chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, or
his or her designee.

begin delete

(5) The chair of the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission, or his or her designee.

end delete begin insert

(5) The chair of the state board, or his or her designee.

end insert

(b) The council, as recommendations for inclusion in the scoping
plan developed pursuant to Section 38561, shall complete all of
the following:

(1) Develop an analysis of begin insert the end insert various begin delete strategies to achieve the
statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, including, but not limited
to, all of the following: end delete

begin delete (A) end delete begin delete   end delete begin delete Strategies end delete begin insert strategies end insert necessary for the energy grid to
integrate a 40-percent, a 50-percent, and a greater than 50-percent
standard as part of the California Renewables Portfolio Standard
Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter
2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code) in order
to minimize and eliminate over-generation and the need for
curtailment, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

begin delete

(i)

end delete

begin insert (A) end insert  Deepening regional coordination in the western
interconnection.

begin delete

(ii)

end delete

begin insert (B) end insert  Increasing energy storage.

begin delete

(iii)

end delete

begin insert (C) end insert  Retrofitting existing baseload electrical generation facilities
in order that they may perform as peaking electrical generation
facilities.

begin delete

(iv)

end delete

begin insert (D) end insert  Using renewable energy generation facilities as peaking
electrical generation facilities.

begin delete

(v)

end delete

begin insert (E) end insert  Allowing for very begin delete low-carbon-fossil-fuel end delete begin insert low-carbon fossil
fuel end insert peaking electrical generation facilities by deploying carbon
capture and storage.

begin delete

(vi)

end delete

begin insert (F) end insert  Encouraging demand response through both of the following:

begin delete

(I)

end delete

begin insert (i) end insert  Transitioning to time-of-use pricing for residential buildings.

begin delete

(II)

end delete

begin insert (ii) end insert  Increasing customer access to real-time or near-real-time
energy usage data.

begin delete

(B) Strategies to increase energy efficiency in both commercial
and residential buildings, including, but not limited to, all of the
following:

end delete begin delete

(i) Validating existing energy efficiency programs against actual
energy usage data.

end delete begin delete

(ii) Optimizing heating and cooling systems.

end delete begin delete

(iii) Transitioning to the electrification of buildings.

end delete begin delete

(C) Strategies to advance the transportation sector, including,
but not limited to, all of the following:

end delete begin delete

(i) Increasing the fuel economy of light-duty vehicles.

end delete begin delete

(ii) Examining strategies for reducing emissions from
heavy-duty vehicles, such as through the use of natural gas, biogas,
and biodiesel.

end delete begin delete

(iii) Increasing the market for low-carbon and very low-carbon
fuels.

end delete begin delete

(iv) Building electric vehicle infrastructure and low-carbon and
very low-carbon vehicle infrastructure.

end delete

(2) Develop an economic assessment using the best available
economic models and data of the various begin delete greenhouse gas emissions
reduction end delete strategies required begin delete to achieve the statewide greenhouse
gas emissions limit. end delete begin insert to be analyzed pursuant to paragraph (1). end insert

(3) Develop an analysis of the benefits to the health, safety, and
welfare of state residents, worker safety, the state’s environment
and quality of life, and any other benefits associated with the
various begin delete greenhouse gas emissions reduction end delete strategies begin delete to achieve
the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit. end delete begin insert required to be
analyzed pursuant to paragraph (1). end insert

(c) The information developed pursuant to subdivision (b) is
intended to assist in establishing state policy and does not change
any statute, regulation, or regulatory decision.

begin delete

SEC. 3.  

Section 38561.7 is added to the Health and Safety
Code, to read:

38561.7.  

The state board shall establish consistent metrics to
accurately quantify reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,
quantify public health benefits, and measure the cost-effectiveness
of the various strategies identified by the Climate Change Advisory
Council pursuant to Section 38561.5 in order to achieve the
statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit.

end delete