BILL NUMBER: SB 730 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Senator Wiggins
FEBRUARY 27, 2009
An act to amend Section 48000 of the Public Resources
Code, relating to solid waste. An act to add Article 2
(commencing with Section 2846) to Chapt er 8 of Part 2 of
Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy
efficiency.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 730, as amended, Wiggins. Solid waste: fees.
Sonoma County Energy Efficiency Pilot Project Act of 2010.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory
authority over public utilities, including gas and electric
corporations. Under existing law the commission is required to
evaluate data from the Solar Water Heating Pilot Project conducted by
the California Center for Sustainable Energy, and if it determines
that the program is cost effective for ratepayers, to design and
implement a program to achieve the goal of the Legislature to promote
the installation of 200,000 solar water heating systems in homes and
businesses by 2017.
Existing law requires the program to be administered by gas
corporations and third party administrators and requires the
commission to fund the program through a surcharge applied to gas
customers at a level necessary to meet the goal of installing 200,000
solar water heating systems.
This bill would establish the Sonoma Energy Efficiency Pilot
Project Act of 2010 and would require the commission, in cooperation
with the Sonoma County Water Agency, to institute a rulemaking
proceeding for the creation of a pilot project to grant rebates for
the installation of energy efficient heating and cooling systems, as
defined, in Sonoma County. The bill would require the rebates and
incentives be made from funds collected from a surcharge imposed by
the commission on gas and electric ratepayers in Sonoma County.
Existing law requires an operator of a disposal facility to pay
quarterly to the State Board of Equalization a fee, as determined by
the California Integrated Waste Management Board (board), based on
the amount of solid waste disposed of at each disposal site.
This bill would require an operator of a transfer or processing
station that transfers solid waste for disposal outside of the state
to pay the above fee on that solid waste.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Article 2 (commencing with Section
2846) is added to Chapter 8 of Part 2 of Division 1 of the
Public Utilities Code , to read:
Article 2. Sonoma County Energy Efficiency Pilot Project Act
of 2010
2846. This article shall be known and may be cited as the Sonoma
County Energy Efficiency Pilot Project Act of 2010.
2847. For purposes of this article, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(a) "Energy efficient heating and cooling system" means a
technology that has the primary purpose of reducing demand for
natural gas or electricity through space heating and cooling or water
heating from technologies such as ground-source heat pumps, electric
heat pumps or similar systems or devices that meet federal Energy
Star requirements.
(b) "Sonoma County Pilot Project" or "Pilot Project" means a
project to authorize the use of ratepayer energy efficiency and
natural gas surcharge funds for the deployment of energy efficient
heating and cooling systems through the Sonoma County Energy
Independence Program instituted in 2009 by the county and the Sonoma
County Water Agency adopted pursuant to Resolution Number 09-0271
adopted by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on March 24, 2009.
2847.1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) California's growing population and economy will put a strain
on energy supplies and threaten the ability of the state to meet its
global warming goals unless specific steps are taken to reduce demand
and generate energy cleanly and efficiently.
(b) Cost-effective and market-ready technologies exist to replace
water heating and space heating and cooling systems for domestic and
industrial use that currently rely on natural gas and electricity
generated from fossil fuels and accounts for a significant percentage
of the state's energy consumption.
(c) In addition to financial and energy savings, energy efficient
heating and cooling systems can help protect against future gas and
electricity shortages and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of
energy by displacing the use of electricity and natural gas.
(d) Energy efficient heating and cooling systems can also help
preserve the environment and protect public health by reducing air
pollution, including carbon dioxide, a leading global warming gas,
and nitrogen oxide, a precursor to smog.
(e) Growing demand for energy efficient technologies will create
jobs in California as well as promote greater energy independence,
protect consumers from rising energy costs and result in cleaner air.
(f) It is in the interest of the State of California to promote
energy efficient heating and cooling systems and other technologies
that directly reduce demand for natural gas and electricity in homes
and businesses.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature to build a mainstream
market for energy efficient heating and cooling systems such as
ground source heat pumps that directly reduce demand for electricity
and natural gas in homes, businesses, and government buildings.
(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that data about the
cost-effectiveness and ratepayer benefits of providing subsidies for
energy efficient heating and cooling systems should be gathered and
studied in a manner similar to that mandated by the Solar Water
Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007, Article 2 (commencing with
Section 2860) of Chapter 9 of Part 2 of Division 1.
2847.2. (a) In cooperation with the Sonoma County Water Agency
and other local agencies responsible for the County's Energy
Independence Program, the commission shall institute a rulemaking
proceeding for creation of a pilot project to promote the deployment
of energy efficient heating and cooling systems in Sonoma County that
displace either natural gas or electrical usage through the use of
rebates.
(b) The commission shall fund the program through the use of a non
by passable surcharge applied to gas and electric customers located
in Sonoma County based upon the amount of natural gas and electricity
consumed.
(c) The purpose of the pilot project is to assess whether
ratepayers will recoup the cost of their investment in energy
efficient heating and cooling systems through lower prices as a
result of avoiding purchases of natural gas or electricity, and
benefit from additional system stability and the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants.
(d) As part of the rulemaking proceeding, the commission, in
consultation with the Energy Commission and interested members of the
public, shall establish eligibility criteria for energy efficient
heating and cooling systems receiving gas or electric ratepayer
funded incentives pursuant to this article. The criteria should
specify and include all of the following:
(1) Design, installation, and energy output or displacement
standards.
(2) Require that energy efficient heating and cooling system
components are new and unused, and have not previously been placed in
service in any other location or for any other application.
(3) Require that energy efficient heating and cooling systems are
installed in conformity with the manufacturer's specifications and
all applicable codes and standards.
(e) The commission shall set rating standards for equipment,
components, and systems to ensure reasonable performance and shall
develop standards that provide for compliance with the minimum
ratings.
2847.3. (a) The rebates and incentives provided to ratepayers
within Sonoma County through this pilot project shall decline over
time. They shall be structured so as to drive down the cost of the
energy efficient heating and cooling system technologies, and be paid
out on a performance-based incentive basis so that incentives are
earned based on the actual energy savings, or on predicted energy
savings as established by the commission.
(b) The commission shall consider federal tax credits and other
incentives available for this technology when determining the
appropriate rebate amount.
(c) The commission shall consider the impact of rebates for energy
efficient heating and cooling systems pursuant to this article on
existing incentive programs for energy efficiency technology.
2847.4. Not later than July 1, 2015, the commission shall report
to the Legislature as to the effectiveness of the pilot project and
make recommendations as to any changes that should be made to the
program, or whether it should be expanded beyond Sonoma County. This
report shall include justification for the size of the rebate program
in terms of total available incentive moneys as well as the
anticipated benefits of the program in its entirety.
SECTION 1. Section 48000 of the Public
Resources Code is amended to read:
48000. (a) Each operator of a disposal facility shall pay a fee
quarterly to the State Board of Equalization that is based on the
amount, by weight or volumetric equivalent, as determined by the
board, of all solid waste disposed of at each disposal site.
(b) The fee for solid waste disposed of shall be one dollar and
thirty-four cents ($1.34) per ton. Commencing with the 1995-96 fiscal
year, the amount of the fee shall be established by the board at an
amount that is sufficient to generate revenues equivalent to the
approved budget for that fiscal year, including a prudent reserve,
but shall not exceed one dollar and forty cents ($1.40) per ton.
(c) An operator of a transfer or processing station that transfers
waste to a destination outside of the state for disposal shall pay a
fee quarterly to the State Board of Equalization, as determined by
the board pursuant to subdivision (b), on all solid waste that the
operator transfers out of the state for disposal.
(d) The board shall notify the State Board of Equalization on the
first day of the period in which the rate shall take effect of any
rate change adopted pursuant to this section.
(e) The board and the State Board of Equalization shall ensure
that all the fees for solid waste imposed pursuant to this section
that are collected at a transfer station are paid to the State Board
of Equalization in accordance with this article.