BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                          SB 410 (Wright)
          
          Hearing Date: 05/26/2011        Amended: 05/16/2011
          Consultant: Brendan McCarthy    Policy Vote: EU&C 7-3
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          BILL SUMMARY: SB 410 extends the sunset of the Public Interest 
          Energy Research Program to 2022.
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                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2011-12      2012-13       2013-14     Fund
           
          Funding research and   Unknown costs, likely in the tens 
          ofGeneral              
             development projects  millions per year

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          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. 

          Under current law, customers of the state's investor owned 
          utilities pay a public goods charge on their electricity bills. 
          Revenues from the public goods charge pay for programs to 
          support energy efficiency, renewable energy, and public interest 
          research and development. The Public Interest Energy Research 
          Program is funded with $77 million per year from the public 
          goods charge and is administered by the California Energy 
          Commission. The Public Interest Energy Research Program provides 
          research funds for new and emerging energy technologies that 
          would not otherwise be funded from private or academic funds.

          The authority to both collect the public goods charge and 
          administer the Public Interest Energy Research Program sunset on 
          January 1, 2012.

          SB 410 extends the sunset of the authorization for the Public 
          Interest Energy Research Program until 2022.

          Based on the current size of the program, the costs to extend 
          the program will likely be in the tens of millions per year. 








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          Staff notes that the bill does not identify a new source of 
          funding for program after the sunset of the public goods charge.