CHAPTER _______

An act to add Part 6 (commencing with Section 71420) to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, relating to greenhouse gases.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1425, Pavley. Water-energy nexus registry.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. Existing law creates the California Environmental Protection Agency, consisting of various boards, offices, and departments, including the state board.

Existing law, until 2008, established the former California Climate Action Registry to carry out specified actions, including, among others, helping various entities in the state to establish emissions baselines, encourage voluntary actions to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and recognize, publicize, and promote participants in the registry.

This bill would require the agency to oversee the development of a registry for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the water-energy nexus using the best available data. The bill would authorize the agency to enter into a contract with a qualified nonprofit organization to develop and administer the registry, which would include, among other things, the above-stated actions of the former California Climate Action Registry as those relate to the water-energy nexus.

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

SECTION 1.  

Part 6 (commencing with Section 71420) is added to Division 34 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

 

PART 6.  Water-Energy Nexus Registry

 

71420.  

For purposes of this part, the following terms have the following meanings:

(a) “Agency” means the California Environmental Protection Agency.

(b) “The Climate Registry” means the nonprofit organization that is a successor to the California Climate Action Registry (former Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 42800) of Part 4 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, as added by Section 1 of Chapter 1018 of the Statutes of 2000).

(c) “Registry” means the water-energy nexus registry developed pursuant to this part.

71422.  

(a) (1) The agency shall oversee the development of a registry for greenhouse gas emissions that result from the water-energy nexus using the best-available data.

(2) Participation in the registry shall be voluntary and open to any entity conducting business in the state. A participating entity may register its emissions, including emissions generated outside of the state, on an entitywide basis and may utilize the services of the registry.

(b) The agency may enter into a contract with a qualified nonprofit organization to do all of the following:

(1) Develop, in consultation with the agency and other relevant state agencies, the registry through a public stakeholder process, as determined by the agency. In developing the registry, the chosen qualified nonprofit organization shall consider greenhouse gas emissions accounting methodologies developed as part of programs authorized pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).

(2) Help participating entities in the state to establish emissions baselines.

(3) Encourage voluntary actions to increase water and energy efficiency measures to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the state’s water system.

(4) Enable participating entities to record voluntary entitywide greenhouse gas emissions reductions in a consistent format that is supported by third-party verification.

(5) Recognize, publicize, and promote participating entities making voluntary reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.

(6) Recruit broad participation in the registry from all economic sectors and regions of the state.

(7) Facilitate streamlined data reporting for relevant entities already reporting to the Climate Registry as part of its voluntary corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting program.

(c) (1) The contract authorized pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be limited to a term of three years.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the term of the contract may be extended for one year upon the agreement of both parties to the contract.

71424.  

Pursuant to Section 39712 of the Health and Safety Code, entities participating in the registry may qualify for financing opportunities that provide incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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