BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 730
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 730
AUTHOR: Kehoe
AMENDED: April 5, 2011
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: May 2, 2011
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Caroll
Mortensen
SUBJECT : ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING
SUMMARY :
Existing law , under the California Alternative and Renewable
Fuel, Vehicle Technology, Clean Air, and Carbon Reduction Act
of 2007 (Health and Safety Code �44270 et seq.):
1) Contains general provisions relating to both the
Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology
Program and the Air Quality Improvement Program that:
a) Defines "full fuel-cycle assessment" to be an
evaluation and comparison of environmental and health
impacts in the life cycle of fuel, including certain
matters (e.g., feedstock production, fuel production,
and vehicle operation).
b) Authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation
and Development Commission (CEC) and the State Air
Resources Board (ARB) to determine definitions of terms
used for the programs and to identify revenue streams
for programs.
c) Provides that for purposes of both programs, eligible
projects cannot include those required to be undertaken
pursuant to state or federal law.
2) Creates the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle
Technology Program that:
a) Requires CEC to provide competitive grants, revolving
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loans, loan guarantees, or loans to certain interests
(e.g., public agencies, businesses, fleet owners,
consumers) to develop and deploy innovative technologies
that change the state's fuel and vehicle types to help
attain the state's climate change policies.
(�44272(a)).
b) Requires CEC to provide preferences to those projects
maximizing the program goals based on certain project
criteria (e.g., consistency with climate change policy,
ability to reduce criteria air pollutants and air
toxics, provide nonstate matching funds). (�44272(c)).
c) Lists projects eligible for funding under the
program.
d) Provides single source contract authority.
e) Provides funding through various fees.
3) Under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
(CGWSA) (�38500 et seq.):
a) Requires ARB to determine the 1990 statewide
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions level and approve a
statewide GHG emissions limit that is equivalent to that
level, to be achieved by 2020, and sets various
requirements to meet this requirement.
b) Requires ARB to develop a "Scoping Plan" that
provides guidelines on achieving GHG reductions.
4) Authorizes cities and counties to require building permits
for the construction, alteration, improvement, demolition,
or repair of any building or structure. If a city or
county does require such building permits, current law
requires them to use a statutory form for permit
applications. (�19825).
This bill :
1) Requires a building permit to be issued for electric
vehicle charging equipment be approved within one business
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day.
2) Adds to the list of eligible projects under the Alternative
and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, a
program to provide funding to local governments that exceed
the proposed requirement in #1 above by accepting building
permit applications for the installation of vehicle
charging equipment online.
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose of Bill . According to the author, electric vehicle
manufacturers and service providers have identified a
serious delay between the time someone purchases an
electrical vehicle and when the necessary permit,
installation, and inspection of electric vehicle charging
equipment is complete. These delays range between 20 and 40
days. Lengthy delays in this process have the potential to
dissuade perspective EV purchasers from that purchase. In
order to promote the market penetration of zero-emission
electric vehicles, the author asserts that it is in the
state's best interest to ensure there is a process in place
at the local government level that enables the smooth
deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
2)The Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology
Program . This program is administered by the CEC and
provides grants, revolving loans, loan guarantees, loans, or
other appropriate funding measures to public agencies,
vehicle consortia, businesses, consumers, recreational
boaters, and academic institutions to develop and deploy
innovative technologies that transform California fuel and
vehicle types to help attain the California's climate change
policies.
Funding of approximately $100 million annually for this
program comes from additional fees on vehicle registrations,
special identification plates for various vehicles, and
vessel registrations, plus $10 million annually from the
Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration
Fund, which is derived from a portion of electric utility
rates.
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Existing law makes many projects eligible under the program,
including funding for alternative and renewable fuel
infrastructure, fueling stations, and equipment and programs
to provide funding for homeowners who purchase a plug-in
electric vehicle to offset costs associated with modifying
electrical sources to include a residential plug-in electric
vehicle charging stations.
3)Investment Plan . The CEC, through a competitive process,
allocates funds to alternative fuel and vehicle technology
projects. To set priorities for the allocation of funds,
the CEC develops an investment plan in consultation with a
wide array of stakeholders. In February of this year the
CEC released a draft of its plan for the 2011-12 fiscal
year. The draft plan proposes allocating $8 million for
plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, including
$1 million for "projects that will support the streamlining
of permitting, installation, and inspection of residential
charging infrastructure." According to the draft plan:
The permitting, installation, and inspection of
residential charging infrastructure needs to be
seamless. The process will vary for each community
and for each installation, but on the whole, it is
complex, costly, and protracted. The average
residential installation time between ordering and
installing charging equipment can be more than four
weeks. Although the actual charging panels may
take only a few hours to install, the entire
process depends on a series of site visits
including the utility company, licensed
electrician, city permitting office, and city
building inspector. Regions are currently
brainstorming to find ways to streamline the
process and reduce the time for installation. It
is also important to provide education to local
government jurisdictions that often lack knowledge
about the permitting process for PEV charging
infrastructure and provide assistance to permit and
inspection offices facing workforce reductions.
The plan also states that the makers of electric
vehicles are very interested in simplifying and
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streamlining this process and recommend a national
installation process. Local government
jurisdictions often lack knowledge about the
permitting process for vehicle charging, and many
permit and inspection offices face workforce
reductions due to declining budgets, thus
exasperating the problem of timely permitting.
Additionally, potential electric vehicle owners
will need assistance in determining the electrical
suitability of their residence or commercial
structure to accommodate the installation of a
charging system. To facilitate the rollout of
electric vehicles in the next few years, these
complex installation challenges must be addressed.
4)Previous Legislation . SB 1340 (Kehoe) Chapter 649, Statutes
of 2010, expands the use of the voluntary contractual
assessment to finance electric vehicle charging
infrastructure affixed on real property and expands the
Property Assessed Clean Energy Reserve program to assist
local jurisdictions in financing the installation of
infrastructure.
5)Previous Committee Hearing . SB 730 was approved by the
Senate Transportation and Housing Committee on March 29,
2011 (5-3).
6)Amendments . Because of the complexities of permitting
electric vehicle charging equipment, as well as the need to
ensure that the electric vehicle infrastructure on the whole
is established and encouraged in a way that is safe,
effective and sustainable for the long-term, SB 730 should
be amended to just require the development and
implementation of a pilot program on this issue.
The pilot program should address not just the quick and
efficient permitting of charging equipment, but look at
what other measures might need to be taken to assist local
governments to make certain they have the information and
tools they need so installation and operation of electric
vehicle charging infrastructure efficient safe, reliable
and sustainable. With coordination by CEC, the pilot should
also include participants that represent both urban and
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rural local governments, public and private utilities, and
other participants that can bring expertise to the issue.
SOURCE : Senator Kehoe
SUPPORT : Plug In America
OPPOSITION : City of Lakewood