Amended in Assembly March 15, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2874

Introduced by Assembly Member Beth Gaines

February 19, 2016

An act to begin delete amend Section 785.2 of the Public Utilities end delete begin insert add Section 10730.1 to the Water end insert Code, relating to public utilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2874, as amended, Beth Gaines. begin delete Gas corporations: natural gas production and storage. end delete begin insert Groundwater sustainability agencies: fees. end insert

begin insert

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed.

end insert begin insert

Existing law authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency to impose fees, including, but not limited to, permit fees and fees on groundwater extraction or other regulated activity, to fund the costs of a groundwater sustainability program.

end insert begin insert

This bill would require a groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing or increasing, pursuant to this authority, a fee relating to a groundwater basin that includes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, to notify the Public Utilities Commission.

end insert begin delete

Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to investigate, as part of the rate proceeding for any gas corporation, impediments to the production and storage of natural gas within the state. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt a tariff that encourages the production or storage of natural gas within the state, including, but not limited to, reducing local transmission rates applicable to in-state gas blends, unless the commission finds that adopting the tariff is likely to result in consequences adverse to the interests of gas customers.

end delete begin delete

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

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

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 10730.1 is added to the end insert begin insert Water Code end insert begin insert , to
read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 10730.1. end insert   

A groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing
or increasing, pursuant to this chapter, a fee relating to a
groundwater basin that includes a water corporation regulated
by the Public Utilities Commission, shall notify the Public Utilities
Commission.

end insert

begin delete

  

SECTION 1.  

Section 785.2 of the Public Utilities Code is
amended to read:

785.2.  

The commission shall investigate, as part of the rate
proceeding for any gas corporation, impediments to the production
and storage of natural gas within the state. The commission may
adopt a tariff that encourages the production or storage of natural
gas within the state, including, but not limited to, reducing local
transmission rates applicable to in-state gas blends, unless the
commission finds that adopting the tariff is likely to result in
consequences adverse to the interests of gas customers.

end delete