BILL NUMBER: AB 1830 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 18, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Galgiani
FEBRUARY 11, 2010
An act to amend Section 334 of add Section
185036.1 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to
electricity high-speed rail .
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1830, as amended, Galgiani. Electrical restructuring.
High-Speed Rail A u thority.
Existing law creates the High-Speed Rail Authority with specified
powers and duties relating to the development and implementation of
an intercity high-speed rail system. Existing law, pursuant to the
Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st
Century, authorizes $9.95 billion in general obligation bonds for
high-speed rail development and other related purposes.
This bill would require the authority to make every effort to
purchase high-speed train rolling stock and related equipment that
are manufactured in California.
The existing restructuring of the electrical industry within the
Public Utilities Act declares that reliable electric service is of
paramount importance to the safety, health, and comfort of the people
of California and that the Legislature has an interest in ensuring
that the transfer of responsibility for ensuring short- and long-term
reliability for the operation of the transmission grid does not
expose California citizens to undue economic risk.
This bill would make a technical nonsubstantive change to that
declaration.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no
yes . State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 185036.1 is added to the
Public Utilities Code , to read:
185036.1. The authority shall make every effort to purchase
high-speed train rolling stock and related equipment that are
manufactured in California.
SECTION 1. Section 334 of the Public Utilities
Code is amended to read:
334. The Legislature finds and declares that in order to ensure
the success of electric industry restructuring, in the transition to
a new market structure it is important to ensure a reliable supply of
electricity. Reliable electric service is of paramount importance to
the safety, health, and comfort of the citizens of California.
Transmission connections between electric utilities allow them to
share generation resources and reduce the number of powerplants
necessary to maintain a reliable system. The connections between
utilities also create exposure to events that can cause widespread
and extended transmission and service outages that reach far beyond
the originating utility service area. California utilities and those
in the western United States voluntarily adhere to reliability
standards developed by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.
The economic cost of extended electricity outages, such as those that
occurred in California and throughout the Western Electricity
Coordinating Council on July 2, 1996, and August 10, 1996, to
California's residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial
customers is significant. The proposed restructuring of the
electricity industry would transfer responsibility for ensuring both
short- and long-term reliability away from electric utilities and
regulatory bodies to the Independent System Operator and various
market-based mechanisms. The Legislature has an interest in ensuring
that the change in the locus of responsibility for reliability does
not expose California citizens to undue economic risk in connection
with system reliability.