BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   SB 730|
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                              UNFINISHED BUSINESS


          Bill No:  SB 730
          Author:   Wiggins (D), et al
          Amended:  8/14/10
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE FLOOR  :  Not relevant
          
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  65-5, 8/18/10 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Energy efficiency

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :     Assembly Amendments  delete the Senate version of  
          the bill relating to solid waste.

          This bill now requires the California Public Utilities  
          Commission to ensure that local and regional interests are  
          considered when evaluating energy-efficiency investments,  
          and requires investor owned utilities to collaborate with  
          regional authorities and other public agencies when  
          developing its energy-efficiency programs. 

           ANALYSIS  :    Local governments on their own initiative and  
          through state programs and policies have launched a variety  
          of programs to reduce energy consumption and regional gas  
          emissions.  For instance, the County of Sonoma, all nine  
          cities within the County, Sonoma County Water Agency,  
          Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the Sonoma  
          County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District  
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          have all adopted the most aggressive emission reduction  
          targets in the United States, which is 25 percent below  
          1990 levels by 2015.  To meet this ambitious goal, last  
          year the community successfully sponsored legislation to  
          create the nation's first regional climate protection  
          authority (AB 881 [Huffman and Wiggins], Chapter 375,  
          Statutes of 2009).  Working closely with the Sonoma County  
          and its cities, Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection  
          Agency (SCRCPA) is deploying an energy conservation effort  
          that involves coordinating and implementing a county-wide  
          building retrofit program. 

          In September 2009, PUC approved the 2010-2012 Utility  
          Energy-Efficiency Portfolios.  These portfolios,  
          administered by the investor owned utilities (IOU's),  
          contain $3.1 billion in ratepayer-supported programs for  
          energy efficiency.  Of these funds, the portfolios provide  
          $260 million in energy-efficiency funding to selected  
          cities, counties and regional governments. 

          Current law requires California Public Utilities Commission  
          (CPUC) to ensure that regional and local interests,  
          multifamily dwellings, and energy service industry  
          capabilities are encouraged to participate in program  
          implementation.  This bill requires the CPUC to encourage  
          participation from local governments and other regional  
          interests in the design, revision and implementation of  
          energy-efficiency programs. 

          This bill requires IOU's to collaborate with county climate  
          protection authorities or other public agencies when  
          developing or revising energy-efficiency programs. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  Yes

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/28/10) (per Asm. Utilities &  
          Commerce Cmte)

          Cities of:  Cotati, Healdsburg, Sonoma
          Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
          Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Authority
          Sonoma County Water Agency 








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           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    According to the author's office,  
          this bill maximizes Sonoma County's efforts to reduce  
          greenhouse gas emissions and achieve energy efficiency.   
          This bill requires utility companies, such as Pacific Gas &  
          Electric, to plan and coordinate their energy efficiency  
          efforts with the County, specifically SCRCPA.  The author's  
          office believes local energy efficiency and climate change  
          initiatives approved and supported by local communities,  
          need to be harmonized and coordinated with the CPUC efforts  
          on energy efficiency and funded by the ratepayer funded  
          energy-efficiency programs, when appropriate.

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  : 
          AYES:  Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,  
            Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield,  
            Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Carter, Chesbro,  
            Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Feuer,  
            Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Galgiani, Garrick,  
            Gatto, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,  
            Huber, Huffman, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal,  
            Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Nava, Nestande, Nielsen, V. Manuel  
            Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva,  
            Skinner, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson,  
            Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
          NOES: DeVore, Gaines, Harkey, Norby, Smyth
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Charles Calderon, Conway,  
            Evans, Furutani, Jeffries, Logue, Monning, Niello,  
            Vacancy


          DLW:do  8/18/10   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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