AB 2543: Emergency preparedness: fuel and transportation resources: assessment.

Session Year: 2025-2026
House: Assembly
Latest Version Date: 2026-07-02

Current Status:

In Progress

(2026-07-02: Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.)

Introduced

In Committee

First Chamber

In Committee

Second Chamber

Enacted

Version:

Existing law establishes various duties and responsibilities of the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) relating to energy usage in the state, including to carry out research and development into alternative sources of energy, improvements in energy generation, transmission, and siting, fuel substitution, and other topics related to energy supply, demand, public safety, ecology, and conservation that are of particular statewide importance, as provided.

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, generally prescribes duties with regard to various types of emergencies and disasters, including requiring the Governor to coordinate the State Emergency Plan and those programs necessary for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency in this state. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to include in the State Hazard Mitigation Plan an evaluation of risks from specified causes of a long-term electrical outage and, based on that analysis, requires the plan to identify cost-effective and feasible measures to lessen risks from those hazards, including, hardening the critical infrastructure of electrical utilities.

This bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, 2028, the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, to submit an assessment to the relevant policy committees of the Senate and Assembly that (1) identify and evaluate identifies and evaluates emergency types during which operators of direct-current fast-charging station sites should be required to maintain operations, Californians access to fuel and transportation resources may be limited in a manner that would impact public health and safety, (2) identify direct-current fast-charging station sites identifies fuel and transportation resources that are important to maintain during each emergency type based on specified factors, and (3) develop recommendations on how long energy should be maintained during each emergency type and on requirements for station operators to ensure operability of identified station sites during each emergency type, as provided. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, an operator of a direct-current fast-charging station site identified by the Office of Emergency Services to submit an emergency management plan to the Office of Emergency Services that considers options to be used during an emergency to maintain operations, as provided. The bill would require the Office of Emergency Services to review the emergency management plans and consult with the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety and the Energy Commission, as necessary. provides recommendations for actions the state should take in the event of an emergency to ensure that fuel and transportation resources necessary for public health and safety are available during the emergency, as provided.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Under existing law, the PUC requires, as part of a general order, an electrical corporation to submit an annual report and emergency and disaster preparedness plan to the PUC.This bill would require an electrical corporation to consider electric vehicle charging stations in its annual report and emergency and disaster preparedness plan.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 provisions of this bill would be part of the act and therefore a violation of the bills requirements, or a violation of a PUC action implementing its requirements, would be a crime, 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 a specified reason.

Discussed in Hearing