SB 551: State water policy: water and energy efficiency.

The California Constitution requires the reasonable and beneficial use of water. Existing law establishes various state water policies, including the policy that the water resources of the state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent of which they are capable.

Existing law, the Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation Development Act, declares, among other things, that electrical and natural gas utilities should have as a principal goal of their resource planning and investment to minimize the cost to society of reliable energy services, improve the environment, and encourage the diversity of energy sources. The act also declares that those utilities should seek to exploit all practicable and cost-effective conservation and improvements in the efficiency of energy use and distribution that offer equivalent or better system of reliability.

This bill would declare the policy of the state that water use and water treatment shall be operate in a manner that is as energy efficient as is feasible and energy use and generation shall be operate in a manner that is as water efficient as is feasible. This bill would require all relevant state agencies to consider this state policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, and grant criteria when pertinent to these uses of water and energy.