Existing law requires every retail supplier that makes an offer to sell electricity that is consumed in the state to disclose its electricity sources and the associated greenhouse gas emissions intensity for the previous calendar year. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission), in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to adopt a methodology for the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions intensity for each purchase of electricity by a retail supplier to serve its retail customers and to calculate greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with statewide retail electricity sales based on greenhouse gas emissions for total California system electricity.
This bill would require, by January 1, 2020,
2019, the State Air Resources Board, Board (state board), in consultation with the Independent System Operator, to adopt a Operator (ISO), to update its methodology for the calculation of hourly emissions of greenhouse gases associated with electricity from unspecified sources, a term defined in existing law but revised for this purpose, purchased within California balancing authority areas, as defined, and, distinctly,
associated with electricity from unspecified sources imported into California from other different subregions of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. The bill would require California balancing authorities to assist the State Air Resources Board by providing all relevant data needed for purposes of developing the methodology and calculating the hourly emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill would require the state board to regularly update its methodology and authorize the state board to incorporate additional measures designed to improve the accuracy of the calculations, including seasonal and time-based differentiation. The bill would require
the state board, in consultation with the ISO and California balancing authorities, to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2019, on any barriers to developing an enhanced methodology, based on recorded generation operations data, for the calculation of hourly greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity from unspecified sources, as specified. The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission and the Energy Commission to incorporate the methodology into programs addressing the disclosure of the emissions of greenhouse gases and the procurement of electricity by entities under the respective jurisdiction of each. Because a local publicly owned electric utility would be required to incorporate the methodology into programs addressing the disclosure of the emissions of greenhouse gases and the procurement of electricity by the utility, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
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 are within the act and require action by the commission to implement their requirements, a violation of which would be a crime, this 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 specified reasons.