AB 2537: Energy: Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program: community capacity funding activities and grants.

Existing law establishes the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Program, which is administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission for the purpose of supporting state activities that complement and are in furtherance of federal laws related to the development of offshore wind facilities. Existing law creates, and continuously appropriates moneys in, the Voluntary Offshore Wind and Coastal Resources Protection Fund for purposes of the program and the Private Donations Account, which is created in the fund. Existing law authorizes the commission to accept federal and private sector moneys for purposes of the program and requires the private sector moneys to be deposited into the donations account and the federal moneys to be deposited into the fund. Existing law requires the commission to post a report on its internet website, within 30 days of receiving a donation, about specified information regarding each donation received. Existing law authorizes the commission to allocate moneys in the fund or donations account for specified purposes, including workforce development grants.

This bill would additionally authorize the commission to allocate moneys in the fund or donations account for capacity funding activities and grants within local communities and tribal communities to engage in the process of offshore wind energy development. By expanding the purposes for which continuously appropriated moneys may be allocated, the bill would make an appropriation.

This bill would create the Offshore Wind Community Capacity Funding Grant Account in the fund, and would continuously appropriate the moneys in this account to the commission to fund capacity funding activities and award capacity funding grants, thereby making an appropriation, as specified. The bill would require an offshore wind entity, as defined, to provide financial assistance to fund those activities and grants for the 3-year period after the offshore wind entity executes an offshore wind lease, as provided. The bill would make that financial assistance subject to the reporting requirement described above. The bill would authorize the commission to use up to 5% of the total amount deposited into the grant account, if needed, to administer the grant account. The bill would require the commission to annually prepare and submit a report, on or before March 1 of each year, to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of those activities and grants. The bill would require the commission to develop guidelines, as provided, for the use of those moneys, and would require the guidelines to be subject to review and revision every 3 years.

This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of ²/₃ of the membership of each house of the Legislature.