Assembly Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy

Good afternoon, everyone. We're going to get started as a Subcommittee. I'd like to convene this committee on Utilities and Energy Hearing. Sergeants, please call the absent Members. I'll maintain a decorum during the hearing. As customary, any individual who is disruptive may be removed from the room.

Today, we have two measures on the agenda. Testimony is limited to four minutes total, two minutes support, two minutes opposition for any additional witnesses. On a measure only. State your name, position and affiliation, if any. If we exceed this time, please submit your testimony through the email address on our website. And so again, we will start as a Subcommittee. We do have one author. And so let's begin. Item Assembly Bill 1061.

I'm here to present AB 1061. AB 1061 requires that any resources procured or maintained by the Department of Water Resources as part of its Reliability Reserve program be subject to cap and trade and have their greenhouse gas emissions reported to the Air Resources Board.

Successive heat waves in California during the summer of 2021 and 2022 severely strained the power grid, resulting in outages across the state. To counter this, the Legislature worked with the governor's office to create several backup power reserves to help keep the electricity on during these times. The reliability reserves with one of these programs and it tasks second motion second, and a third.

Well, would you like to defer to your witness at this time?

Here to speak in support of the Bill is Katelyn Roedner. I'm sorry. Katelyn Roedner Sutter, California State Director at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Thank you very much.

And let me just establish the quorum and then we'll proceed with your testimonies. Madam Secretary.

Garcia? Present. Garcia, here. Patterson? Bauer-Kahan? Here. Bauer-Kahan, here. Calderon? Carillo? Carillo, here. Chen? Connolly? Connolly, here. Holden? Holden, here. Mathis? Muratsuchi? Reyes? Reyes, here. Santiago? Schiavo? Ting? Ting, here. Wallis? Wallis, here.

Okay, we have a quorum. Please proceed.

Thank you so much again. I'm Katelyn Roedner Sutter with Environmental Defense Fund. I will be very brief. We're pleased to support AB 1061. We appreciate Speaker Emeritus Brendan for bringing it forward. This is really about providing clarity and consistency to ensure that any electricity resources brought online as part of the Electricity Strategic Reliability Reserve are subject to the same requirements and obligations as other electricity resources, specifically the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and compliance with cap and trade.

I'm happy to help answer any questions if you would like, but I think I will leave it at that for now.

Thank you. We do have a motion. And a second, and a third. That's right. I'm going to stop there, see if there's anyone who's going to testify in opposition to the Bill. Okay. See, no one will move it to public comments. Anyone wishing to speak at this time on this matter, name, affiliation, position, no one will bring it back to the dice. Any questions? Of the author or the witness. See? No questions. Would you like to close closing?

I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. The motion is do pass recommended. And we'll call the question item number one, AB 1061, that the Senate amendments be concurred in.

Garcia? Aye. Garcia, aye. Patterson? Bauer-Kahan? Aye. Bauer-Kahan, aye. Calderon? Carillo? Aye. Carillo, aye. Chen? Connolly? Aye. Connolly, aye. Holden? Aye. Holden, aye. Mathis? Muratsuchi? Aye. Muratsuchi, aye. Reyes? Aye. Reyes, aye. Santiago? Schiavo? Ting? Aye. Ting, aye. Wallis? Aye. Wallis, aye.

Thank you. We'll leave the call open for other Members to add on. Thank you again.

Thank you. Thank you, Members.

Okay, we have item number two, SB 4842. We don't have an author, and someone wanting to pinch it here for Senator Bradford? Anyway, the analysis analysis did an excellent job in explaining what's on the agenda. You sit there. There you go.

I'm taking this one. I don't know why.

Please. Closely. We are told that Mr. Bradford is on his way.

Oh.

And so because he has said he's on his way, maybe we should wait a minute for him to do that. Thank. You. Thank you.

I just got handed the gavel and I'm not sure exactly what to do. With it, but okay,

I'm going to present SB 842

Yeah. Pound it.

Okay.

We're going to do item two, SB 842 Bradford: Energy Petroleum end Refinery Turnaround and Maintenance. And I'm assuming that you will be presenting for Senator Bradford till Mr. Bradford gets here?

I will.

All right, you may present.

Thank you. On behalf of Senator Bradford, I'm presenting.

Can I call a vote?

SB 842, which is a cleanup Bill. And with that, I will turn it over to my witnesses.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman and Members, Eloy Garcia for the Westman States Petroleum Association very much in support and appreciate Chairman Bradford's efforts, along with Chairman Garcia and all of your staff for this late Bill. That is a modest but necessary and important update to the special session legislation that was adopted earlier this year with regard to refinery maintenance. We thank you and ask for your aye vote.

Mike Monagan. On behalf of the State Building Trades. This additional layer of oversight will protect our health and safety of our workers. We ask for your aye vote.

And these are the primary witnesses in support, I'm assuming. Any additional witnesses on the measure in the audience? Do we have testimony in opposition seeing? None. And any individuals in the room here in opposition seeing and hearing? None. Do we have any questions, comments from Members? I have a motion in 3 seconds we'd like to close.

On behalf of Senator Bradford, respectfully ask for your vote.

All right, that was motioned by Chen and Chen and seconded by spectacular Calderon. All right. And Madam Secretary, call the vote, please.

Item number two, SB 842. The motion is do pass to Appropriations. Garcia. Patterson. Aye. Patterson, aye. Bauer-Kahan. Aye. Bauer-Kahan, aye. Calderon. Aye. Calderon, aye. Carillo. AYe. Carillo, aye. Chen. Aye. Chen, aye. Connolly. Aye. Connolly, aye. Holden. Aye. Holden, aye. Mathis. Muratsuchi. Aye. Muratsuchi, aye. Reyes. Aye. Reyes, aye. Santiago. Aye. Santiago. Aye. Schiavo. Ting. Aye. Ting, aye.

Aye. Wallis. Aye. Wallace, aye. I'm going to open the roll. Item number one, AB 1061.

Members are going to open the roll for add ons to the first item.

Item number one, AB 1061. Patterson. Aye. Patterson, aye. Calderon. Aye. Calderon, aye. Chen. Not voting. Chen, not voting. Mathis. Santiago. Aye. Santiago, aye. Shiavo.

And we're going to keep the roll open for what, another 20 minutes? Five minutes? Ten minutes. We're waiting for the chair.

That's it.

All right, Mr. Chair, I'm good on both.

Yes. Thank you. I was just checking they verified.

Thank you. Yeah.

Did he vote no? Santiago vote yes.

Okay. Thank you.

All right.

Thank you.

Do I gabble that.

Okay, we're going to open up the agenda for votes on the two items. Madam Secretary.

Item number one, AB 1061. Shiavo. Aye. Shiavo, aye.

That's 13-0, Bill gets out.

Item number two, SB 842. Garcia. Aye. Garcia, aye. Shiavo. Aye. Schiavo, aye.

Fourteen zero, the Bill gets out. And at this time, Utilities and Energy Committee is adjourned. Thank you.