SB 100: California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program: emissions of greenhouse gases.

(1)Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing boards. The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the PUC to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieve 25% of retail sales by December 31, 2016, 33% by December 31, 2020, 40% by December 31, 2024, 45% by December 31, 2027, and 50% by December 31, 2030. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the procurement requirements established by the program. The Legislature has found and declared that its intent in implementing the program is to attain, among other targets for sale of eligible renewable resources, the target of 50% of total retail sales of electricity by December 31, 2030.

This bill would revise the above-described legislative findings and declarations to state that the goal of the program is to achieve that 50% renewable resources target by December 31, 2026, and to achieve a 60% target by December 31, 2030. The bill would require that retail sellers and local publicly owned electric utilities procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources so that the total kilowatthours of those products sold to their retail end-use customers achieve 44% of retail sales by December 31, 2024, 52% by December 31, 2027, and 60% by December 31, 2030.

Under existing law, a local publicly owned electric utility is not required to procure more than a specified minimum quantity of eligible renewable energy resources under the program if it receives more than 50% of its retail sales from hydroelectric generation, as specified.

This bill would revise those provisions, limit the applicability of this exception to large hydroelectric generation, and reduce that threshold to 40%.

(2)Existing law establishes the California Environmental Protection Agency, establishes the State Air Resources Board within the agency as the entity with responsibility for control of emissions from motor vehicles, and designates the state board as the air pollution control agency for all purposes set forth in federal law. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the state board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

The Warren-Alquist State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Act establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and requires it to conduct an ongoing assessment of the opportunities and constraints presented by all forms of energy, to encourage the balanced use of all sources of energy to meet the states needs, and to seek to avoid possible undesirable consequences of reliance on a single source of energy.

This bill would state that it is the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. The bill would require that the achievement of this policy for California not increase carbon emissions elsewhere in the western grid and that the achievement not allow resource shuffling. The bill would require the PUC and the Energy Commission, in consultation with the state board, to take steps to ensure that a transition to a zero-carbon electric system for the State of California does not cause or contribute to greenhouse gas emissions increases elsewhere in the western grid. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, state board, and all other state agencies to incorporate that policy into all relevant planning. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, state board, and all other state agencies to ensure actions taken in furtherance of these purposes achieve specified objectives. The bill would require the PUC, Energy Commission, and state board to utilize programs authorized under existing statutes to achieve that policy and, as part of a public process, issue a joint report to the Legislature by January 1, 2021, and every 4 years thereafter, that includes specified information relating to the implementation of the policy.

(3)Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.

Because certain of the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the PUC implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. By expanding the requirements placed upon a local publicly owned electric utility, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.