Amended in Assembly April 2, 2014

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2297

Introduced by Assembly Member Levine

February 21, 2014

An act to add Section 1250.07 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to health facilities.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2297, as amended, Levine. Health facilities: fuel cell generators.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing law requires certain health facilities to test diesel backup generators in accordance with specified provisions.

This bill would authorize these health facilities to usebegin delete fuel cell backup generators, as defined, if the technology is as reliable and safe as diesel backup generators. The bill would specify that the crime provision described above does not apply to this authorizationend deletebegin insert reliable alternative clean energy technologies as primary or backup power sources if the technology meets reliability requirements set forth by federal and state regulators. The bill would require the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to submit to the California Building Standards Commission guidelines for the use of reliable alternative clean energy technologies for essential services, to be adopted in the next triennial edition of the California Building Standards Codeend insert.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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SECTION 1.  

Section 1250.07 is added to the Health and Safety
2Code, to read:

3

1250.07.  

(a) begin delete(1)end deletebegin delete end deleteA health facility, as defined in subdivision
4(e) of Section 41514.1, may usebegin delete fuel cell backup generators if the
5technology is at least as reliable and safe as diesel backup
6generatorsend deletebegin insert reliable alternative clean energy technologies as
7primary or backup power sources if the technology meets reliability
8requirements set forth by federal and state regulatorsend insert.

begin delete

9(2) For purposes of this section, a “fuel cell backup generator”
10means a backup generator that electrochemically converts fuel to
11electric energy.

end deletebegin delete

12(b) Section 1290 does not apply to this section.

end deletebegin insert

13(b) The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development
14shall submit to the California Building Standards Commission
15guidelines for the use of reliable alternative clean energy
16technologies for essential services to be adopted in the next
17triennial edition of the California Building Standards Code.

end insert

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