Bill Text: CA AB580 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Zero-emission energy infrastructure: fallowed farmland.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB580 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB580-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 16, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 580

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Introduced by Assembly Member Bennett

February 09, 2023

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An act to add Section 913.2 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 580, as amended, Bennett. Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program: solar farms: report. zero-emission energy infrastructure.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Under existing law, the Legislature appropriated $40,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Conservation to implement the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program for groundwater sustainability projects that reduce groundwater use, repurpose irrigated agricultural land, and provide wildlife habitat, as specified.

This bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2024, to consult with the Department of Conservation Conservation, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, and the Independent System Operator to assess challenges that exist when connecting enabling a recipient of Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant moneys who wishes to repurpose their land into a solar farm to the electrical grid. for zero-emission energy infrastructure, and to develop best practices for navigating those challenges. The bill also would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2025, December 31, 2024, to publish on its internet website information to assist these grant recipients in navigating the above-mentioned challenges, and would require the commission to identify best practices to navigate those challenges.

Existing law requires the commission to adopt a process for each load-serving entity, as defined, to file an integrated resource plan and a schedule for periodic updates to the plan to ensure that load-serving entities accomplish specified objectives.

This bill would require the commission to require a load-serving entity to consider in its integrated resource plan the best practices for navigating challenges that exist when Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant recipients repurpose their land for zero-emission energy infrastructure.

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

Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.

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.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NOYES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 913.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

913.2.

 (a) As used in this section, “grant recipient” means a recipient of Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant moneys who wishes to repurpose their land into a solar farm. for zero-emission energy infrastructure, including electricity generation and transmission.

(b) (1) On or before July 1, 2024, the commission shall consult with the Department of Conservation Conservation, the Energy Commission, and the Independent System Operator to assess challenges that exist when connecting enabling grant recipients to the electrical grid. repurpose their land for zero-emission energy infrastructure, and to develop best practices for navigating those challenges.

(2) The commission shall require a load-serving entity to consider the best practices developed pursuant to paragraph (1) in its integrated resource plan adopted pursuant to Section 454.52.

(c) On or before July 1, 2025, December 31, 2024, the commission shall publish on its internet website information to assist grant recipients in navigating the challenges identified pursuant to subdivision (b) and shall identify best practices to navigate those challenges. (b).

SEC. 2.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.