Bill Text: CA AB2898 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-05 - Referred to Coms. on U. & E. and NAT. RES. [AB2898 Detail]
Download: California-2019-AB2898-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2898
| Introduced by Assembly Member Cunningham |
February 21, 2020 |
An act to amend Section 25741 of the Public Resources Code, and to amend Section 398.4 of the Public Utilities Code, relating to renewable energy resources.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2898, as introduced, Cunningham.
California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program.
The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission 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 during specified compliance periods. The program defines an eligible renewable energy resource as an electrical generating facility that meets the definition of a renewable electrical generation facility and meets other requirements, as applicable. 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 targets established by the program. Existing law also requires a retail supplier of electricity to disclose its electricity sources as a percentage of annual sales that are
derived from specified sources of energy, including eligible renewable energy resources.
This bill would include a facility that uses nuclear energy, as specified, as a renewable electrical generation facility. The bill would also make a conforming change by recategorizing nuclear energy as an eligible renewable energy resource for purposes of a retail supplier’s electricity source disclosure requirements.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 25741 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:25741.
As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meaning:(a) “Renewable electrical generation facility” means a facility that meets all of the following criteria:
(1) The facility uses biomass, solar thermal, photovoltaic, wind, geothermal, fuel cells using renewable fuels, small hydroelectric generation of 30 megawatts or less, digester gas, municipal solid waste conversion, landfill gas, ocean wave, ocean thermal, nuclear energy, or tidal current, and any additions or enhancements to the facility using that technology.
(2) The facility
satisfies one of the following requirements:
(A) The facility is located in the state or near the border of the state with the first point of connection to the transmission network of a balancing authority area primarily located within the state. For purposes of this subparagraph, “balancing authority area” has the same meaning as defined in Section 399.12 of the Public Utilities Code.
(B) The facility has its first point of interconnection to the transmission network outside the state, within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) service area, and satisfies all of the following requirements:
(i) It commences initial commercial operation after January 1, 2005.
(ii) It will not cause or contribute to any violation of a California
environmental quality standard or requirement.
(iii) It participates in the accounting system to verify compliance with the renewables portfolio standard once established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 399.25 of the Public Utilities Code.
(C) The facility meets the requirements of clauses (ii) and (iii) in subparagraph (B), but does not meet the requirements of clause (i) of subparagraph (B) because it commenced initial operation prior to January 1, 2005, if the facility satisfies either of the following requirements:
(i) The electricity is from incremental generation resulting from expansion or repowering of the facility.
(ii) Electricity generated by the facility was procured by a retail seller or local publicly owned
electric utility as of January 1, 2010.
(3) If the facility is outside the United States, it is developed and operated in a manner that is as protective of the environment as a similar facility located in the state.
(4) If eligibility of the facility is based on the use of landfill gas, digester gas, or another renewable fuel delivered to the facility through a common carrier pipeline, the transaction for the procurement of that fuel, including the source of the fuel and delivery method, satisfies the requirements of Section 399.12.6 of the Public Utilities Code and is verified pursuant to the accounting system established by the commission pursuant to 399.25 of the Public Utilities Code, or a comparable system, as determined by the commission.
(b) “Municipal solid waste conversion,” as used in subdivision (a), means
a technology that uses a noncombustion thermal process to convert solid waste to a clean-burning fuel for the purpose of generating electricity, and that meets all of the following criteria:
(1) The technology does not use air or oxygen in the conversion process, except ambient air to maintain temperature control.
(2) The technology produces no discharges of air contaminants or emissions, including greenhouse gases as defined in Section 38505 of the Health and Safety Code.
(3) The technology produces no discharges to surface or groundwaters of the state.
(4) The technology produces no hazardous wastes.
(5) To the maximum extent feasible, the technology removes all recyclable materials and
marketable green waste compostable materials from the solid waste stream prior to the conversion process and the owner or operator of the facility certifies that those materials will be recycled or composted.
(6) The facility at which the technology is used is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances.
(7) The technology meets any other conditions established by the commission.
(8) The facility certifies that any local agency sending solid waste to the facility diverted at least 30 percent of all solid waste it collects through solid waste reduction, recycling, and composting. For purposes of this paragraph, “local agency” means any city, county, or special district, or subdivision thereof, which is authorized to provide solid waste handling services.
(c) “Renewable energy public goods charge” means that portion of the nonbypassable system benefits charge required to be collected to fund renewable energy pursuant to the Reliable Electric Service Investments Act (Article 15 (commencing with Section 399) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code).
(d) “Report” means the report entitled “Investing in Renewable Electricity Generation in California” (June 2001, Publication Number P500-00-022) submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by the commission.
(e) “Retail seller” means a “retail seller” as defined in Section 399.12 of the Public Utilities Code.
SEC. 2.
Section 398.4 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:398.4.
(a) Every retail supplier that makes an offering to sell electricity that is consumed in California shall disclose its electricity sources and the associated greenhouse gases emissions intensity for the previous calendar year.(b) The disclosures required by this section shall be made to potential end-use consumers in all product-specific written promotional materials that are distributed to consumers by either printed or electronic means, including the retail supplier’s Internet Web site, internet website,
if one exists, except that advertisements and notices in general circulation media shall not be subject to this requirement.
(c) The disclosures required by this section shall be made annually to end-use consumers of the offered electricity. The annual disclosure shall be made by the end of the first complete billing cycle for the third quarter of the year, and shall be consistent with information provided to the Energy Commission pursuant to Section 398.5. A retail supplier may distribute the disclosures required by this section via email to any end-use consumer that has consented to receive email in lieu of printed materials.
(d) The disclosures required by this section shall be made separately for each portfolio offering made by the retail supplier.
(e) On or before January 1, 1998, the Energy
Commission shall specify guidelines for the format and means for disclosure required by Section 398.3 and this section, based on the requirements of this article and subject to public hearing.
(f) The costs of making the disclosures required by this section shall be considered to be generation related.
(g) The disclosures required by this section shall comply with the following:
(1) A retail supplier’s disclosure of its electricity sources shall be expressed as a percentage of annual sales derived from each of the following categories:
(A) Electricity from unspecified sources.
(B) Purchases of electricity from specified sources.
(2) A retail supplier’s disclosure of its electricity sources shall also separately identify total California system electricity, which is the sum of all in-state generation and net electricity imports by fuel type.
(h) Each of the categories specified in subdivision (g) shall be additionally identified as a percentage of annual sales that is derived from the following fuels, sources of energy, or electricity products:
(1) Coal.
(2) Large hydroelectric (greater than 30 megawatts).
(3) Natural gas.
(4)Nuclear.
(5)
(4) Eligible renewable energy resources pursuant to the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11)), including any of the following:
(A) Biomass and biowaste.
(B) Geothermal.
(C) Eligible hydroelectric.
(D) Solar.
(E) Wind.
(F) Nuclear.
(6)
(5) Other categories as determined by the Energy Commission.
(7)
(6) The portion of annual sales derived from unbundled renewable energy credits shall be included in the disclosures in a format determined by the Energy Commission. A retail supplier may include additional information related to the sources of the unbundled renewable energy credits.
(i) All electricity sources disclosed as purchases of electricity from specified sources shall
meet the requirements of subdivision (d) of Section 398.2.
(j) Purchases of electricity from specified sources identified pursuant to this section shall be from sources connected to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council interconnected grid.
(k) (1) Each retail supplier shall disclose both the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of any electricity portfolio offered to its retail customers and the Energy Commission’s calculation of greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with all statewide retail electricity sales, consistent with the requirements of this subdivision.
(2) The Energy Commission shall do all of the following:
(A) Adopt a methodology, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, for the calculation of
greenhouse gas emissions intensity for each purchase of electricity by a retail supplier to serve its retail customers.
(B) Calculate the greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with statewide retail electricity sales based on the greenhouse gas emissions for total California system electricity.
(C) Rely on the most recent verified greenhouse gas emissions data while ensuring that greenhouse gas emissions intensity factors for electricity from specified and unspecified sources are available to retail suppliers with sufficient advance notice to permit timely reporting.
(D) Establish guidelines for adjustments to a greenhouse gas emissions intensity factor for a reporting year for any local publicly owned electric utility demonstrating generation of quantities of electricity in previous years in excess of its
total retail sales and wholesale sales from specified sources that do not emit any greenhouse gases. Adjustments authorized by the guidelines established by the Energy Commission shall not permit excess generation procured in a single year to be counted more than once or to be resold to another retail supplier as a specified source.
(E) Ensure that there is no double-counting of the greenhouse gas emissions or emissions attributes associated with any unit of electricity production reported by a retail supplier for any specific generating facility or unspecified source located within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council when calculating greenhouse gas emissions intensity.
(F) (i) On or before January 1, 2018, adopt guidelines, through an open process, subject to public comment, and adopted by a vote of the Energy Commission, for the reporting and
disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with retail sales based on the requirements of this subdivision. Beginning June 1, 2020, retail suppliers shall be required to report data on greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with retail sales occurring after December 31, 2018.
(ii) Any new community choice aggregator formed after January 1, 2016, shall not be required to report data on greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with retail sales until at least 24 months, but shall be required to report that data no later than 36 months, after serving its first retail customer.
(3) Any marketing or retail product claims relating to the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of the electric supply portfolio of a retail supplier shall be consistent with the methodology adopted by the Energy Commission pursuant to this section. Retail suppliers may provide
additional information to customers describing other actions relating to greenhouse gases that are unrelated to the electric supply portfolio.
(l) The provisions of this section shall not apply to generators providing electric service onsite, under an over-the-fence transaction as described in Section 218, or to an affiliate or affiliates, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 372.
