SB 471, as introduced, Pavley. Water, energy, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: planning.
(1) Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the State Air Resources Board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism relative to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates specified portions of the annual proceeds in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to various programs including 20% for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, administered by the Strategic Growth Council. Existing law specifies the objectives for the program and identifies categories of projects eligible for funding under this program.
This bill would require the council, in implementing these provisions, to give special consideration to awarding funds to eligible projects that, in addition to existing objectives and goals, would also result in reduced energy use by a water supplier, an end user of water, or both.
(2) The Integrated Regional Water Management Planning Act authorizes a regional water management group to prepare an integrated regional water management plan, in accordance with certain procedures, for the implementation or operation of specified qualified projects or programs pertaining to water supply, water quality, or related matters. The act defines “regional projects or programs” as projects or programs identified in an integrated regional water management plan that accomplish specified water-related goals, including an increase in water supplies through the use of certain means.
This bill would specifically include projects or programs that reduce energy used to acquire, transport, treat, or distribute water as a regional project or program.
(3) Existing law, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, approved by the voters as Proposition 1 at the November 4, 2014, statewide general election, authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds in the amount of $7,545,000,000 to finance a water quality, supply, and infrastructure improvement program. The bond act provides that the sum of $810,000,000 is to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for expenditures on, and competitive grants and loans to, projects that are included in and implemented in, an adopted integrated regional water management plan and respond to climate change and contribute to regional water security. The bond act authorizes the use of $100,000,000 of those funds for direct expenditures, and for grants and loans, for certain water conservation and water-use efficiency plans, projects, and programs.
This bill, in implementing the direct expenditures, grants, and loans for these water conservation and water-use efficiency plans, projects, and programs, would require special consideration be given to expenditures, grants, and loans that would result in reduced energy use by the water supplier, end user of the water, or both.
(4) The bill would make legislative findings and declarations, and a statement of legislative intent, with regard to the nexus between water and energy and water and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
(5) The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to require the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to update and further refine its 2007 study of water-related energy use in California, without imposing any new emissions regulations on affected entities.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
P3 1(1) Water and energy resources are inextricably connected. This
2relationship is known as the water-energy nexus.
3(A) Transportation and treatment of water, treatment and
4disposal of wastewater, and the energy used to heat and consume
5water account for nearly 20 percent of the total electricity and 30
6percent of nonpowerplant-related natural gas consumed in
7California.
8(B) Similarly, water is used to turn turbines for hydropower, to
9produce steam for thermoelectric power, and to cool equipment
10by absorbing the waste heat
produced by power generation.
11(C) Consequently, saving water saves energy, and vice versa.
12(2) Because of the water-energy nexus, there is also a
13water-greenhouse gas nexus.
14(A) Production of energy often results in production of
15greenhouse gases.
16(B) Consequently, saving water saves energy and, by extension,
17reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
18(3) Planning for water use is often conducted without
19consideration of energy use or greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly,
20planning for energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is
21often conducted without consideration of water resources.
22(b) It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this act, to:
23(1) Provide the best available data on the water-energy nexus
24so that it may be included in the scoping plan update prepared
25pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
26(Ch. 488, Stats. 2006).
27(2) More closely integrate the planning for water, energy, and
28greenhouse gas emissions.
29(3) Enable opportunities for innovative projects and programs
30that reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of our water system and
31the water intensity of our energy system to access eligible funds,
32including moneys from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the
33Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of
342014 (Proposition 1), the Electric Program Investment Charge
35Fund, and investor-owned utility ratepayer dollars.
36(c) It is
further the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
37to require the Energy Resources Conservation and Development
38Commission to update and further refine its 2007 study of
39water-related energy use in California, including source-specific
40data, which would be anonymized to the extent necessary to protect
P4 1business confidential information or security sensitive information,
2and without imposing any new emissions regulations on the entities
3with which these water-related energy use emissions are associated.
Section 75214.5 is added to the Public Resources Code,
5to read:
In implementing the program, the council shall give
7special consideration to awarding funds to eligible projects that,
8in addition to achieving the objectives identified in Section 75210
9and supporting the goals identified in Section 75214, would also
10result in reduced energy use by a water supplier, an end user of
11water, or both.
Section 10537 of the Water Code is amended to read:
“Regional projects or programs” means projects or
14programs identified in an integrated regional water management
15plan that accomplish any of the following:
16(a) Reduce water demand through agricultural and urban water
17use efficiency.
18(b) Increase water supplies for any beneficial use through the
19use of any of the following, or other, means:
20(1) Groundwater storage and conjunctive water management.
21(2) Desalination.
22(3) Precipitation enhancement.
23(4) Water recycling.
24(5) Regional and local surface storage.
25(6) Water-use efficiency.
26(7) Stormwater management.
27(c) Improve operational efficiency and water supply reliability,
28including conveyance facilities, system reoperation, and water
29transfers.
30(d) Improve water quality, including drinking water treatment
31and distribution, groundwater and aquifer remediation, matching
32water quality to water use, wastewater treatment, water pollution
33prevention, and management of urban and agricultural runoff.
34(e) Improve resource stewardship, including agricultural lands
35
stewardship, ecosystem restoration, flood plain management,
36recharge area protection, urban land use management, groundwater
37management, water-dependent recreation, fishery restoration,
38including fish passage improvement, and watershed management.
39(f) Improve flood management through structural and
40nonstructural means, or by any other means.
P5 1(g) Reduce energy used to acquire, transport, treat, or distribute
2water.
Section 10538 of the Water Code is amended to read:
“Regional reports or studies” means reports or studies
5relating to any of the matters described in subdivisions (a) tobegin delete (f)end delete
6begin insert (g)end insert, inclusive, of Section 10537, that are identified in an integrated
7regional water management plan.
Section 79746.5 is added to the Water Code, to read:
In implementing Section 79746, special consideration
10shall be given to expenditures, grants, and loans that, in addition
11to the purposes of Section 79746, would also result in reduced
12energy use by the water supplier, end user of the water, or both.
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