BILL ANALYSIS 1
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SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
ALEX PADILLA, CHAIR
SB 1435 - Padilla Hearing Date:
April 20, 2010 S
As Amended: April 5, 2010 FISCAL B
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DESCRIPTION
Current law establishes the California Energy Commission (CEC)
with five appointed members, one of whom serves as the chairman
of the body.
Current law requires the President of the California Public
Utilities Commission to appear before the appropriate policy
committees of the Legislature each year to report on the
activities of the Commission.
This bill requires the chair of the CEC to also appear before
the appropriate policy committees to report on the activities of
the CEC.
This bill strikes a technical and unnecessary heading from the
Public Resources Code.
BACKGROUND
The CEC is an energy policy and planning agency created by the
Legislature in 1974. The CEC responsibilities include:
Forecasting future energy needs and keeping historical
energy data;
Licensing thermal power plants 50 megawatts or larger;
Promoting energy efficiency by setting the state's
appliance and building efficiency standards and working
with local government to enforce those standards;
Supporting public interest energy research that advances
energy science and technology through research,
development, and demonstration programs;
Supporting renewable energy by providing market support
to existing, new, and emerging renewable technologies;
providing incentives for small wind and fuel cell
electricity systems; and providing incentives for solar
electricity systems in new home construction;
Implementing the state's Alternative and Renewable Fuel
and Vehicle Technology Program; and
Planning for and directing state response to energy
emergencies.
The Governor nominates and the Senate approves five people to
act as full-time energy commissioners. They are appointed to
staggered five-year terms of office. From the five members, the
Governor also picks a Chairman and Vice Chair for two-year
terms. Each of the appointees comes from a specific background:
the law, economics, environmental studies or sciences,
engineering or science, and the public at large.
The basic programs of the CEC and most of its staff are funded
through a surcharge on electricity consumption. State law
directs electric utility companies to gather a state energy
surcharge. As of January 1, 2005, this is set at two-tenths of
one mil ($0.00022) per kilowatt/hour (kWh) of electricity
consumed by all electrical customers. These funds are
segregated in the state treasury as the Energy Resources Program
Account (ERPA). For a home that consumes 600 kWh of electricity
in a month, the contribution to ERPA is 13.2 cents per month or
$1.58 per year. Additionally, the CEC manages public goods
charge monies collected by the investor-owned utilities for
renewable energy, research, research and development, and other
federal and state funds for specific programs.
COMMENTS
Author's Purpose . The author intends to improve communication
between the CEC and the Legislature and facilitate oversight of
the CEC's programs.
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
Author
Support:
None on file.
Oppose:
None on file.
Kellie Smith
SB 1435 Analysis
Hearing Date: April 20, 2010