Bill Text: CA AB987 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Public utilities: civil penalties: unplanned electrical outages and deenergization events.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB987 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB987-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 25, 2021 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Low |
February 18, 2021 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law requires the commission to adopt inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement standards for the distribution systems of electrical corporations in order to provide high-quality, safe, and reliable service. Existing law requires the commission to require each electrical corporation to report annually on its compliance with those standards. Existing law requires the electrical corporation’s report to be made available to the public, except as provided.
This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to the public reporting provision.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee:Bill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 2104 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:2104.
(b)This section shall become operative on January 1, 2014.
SEC. 2.
Section 2105.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:2105.5.
(a) The commission shall require any penalty imposed on a public utility, person, or corporation for a violation of this part, or for a violation of any order, decision, decree, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission, to be paid no later than two years from the date the penalty was imposed.SEC. 3.
Section 2106.5 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:2106.5.
(a) On or before June 1, 2023, the commission shall require an electrical corporation to establish a memorandum account to track expenses paid to customers, local governments, and others for claims or penalties resulting from an electrical outage, including a deenergization event. The commission shall establish rules to determine whether the expenses paid can be recovered from ratepayers.SEC. 4.
Section 2774.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:2774.2.
(a) An electrical corporation shall report the age and anticipated or rated operating life, whichever is less, of its electric plant to the commission and, by each January 1, shall annually update that information to reflect replacement or upgrades to its electric plant. For electric plant that is beyond its rated operating life, the electrical corporation shall report on the appropriateness of its continued use and any upgrades made to extend its useful life and when it was last inspected and determined not to require replacement. For purposes of this section, “anticipated operating life means the operating life” of an item of electric plant that is appreciably reduced from the rated operating life based upon adverse environmental or other factors applicable to the location or operation of the electric plant.SEC. 5.
Section 2774.3 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:2774.3.
(a) If an electrical corporation has an unplanned outage of electrical service to 100 or more service connections within its service territory, the electrical corporation shall promptly do both of the followingSEC. 6.
Section 8385 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:8385.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, the following shall apply:(2)
SEC. 7.
Section 8386 of the Public Utilities Code is amended to read:8386.
(a) Each electrical corporation shall construct, maintain, and operate its electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by those electrical lines and equipment.(C)Customers who receive medical baseline allowances pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 739. The electrical corporation may deploy backup electrical resources or provide financial assistance for backup electrical resources to a customer receiving a medical baseline allowance for a customer who meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The customer relies
(ii)The customer demonstrates financial need, including through enrollment in the California Alternate Rates for Energy program created pursuant to Section 739.1.
(iii)The customer is not eligible for backup electrical resources provided through medical services, medical insurance, or community resources.
(D)Subparagraph (C)
SEC. 8.
Section 8386.7 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:8386.7.
An electrical corporation that undertakes a deenergization event that either lasts longer than 12 hours or, if the temperature is 100 degrees or hotter in the area affected by the deenergization event, lasts 5 hours or longer, shall provide a check for two hundred fifty dollars ($250) prior to the next billing cycle to every residential customer to compensate the residential customer for anticipated expenses of traveling to, and staying at, a location with electrical service and any incidental expenses, such as spoiled food. Only one check shall be provided for each service connection. A residential customer may forgo receipt of the check.SEC. 9.
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.The commission shall require each electrical corporation to report annually on its compliance with the standards or rules adopted by the commission pursuant to Section 364. The electrical corporation’s report shall be made available to the public, except that the commission may, consistent with other provisions of law, withhold from the public information generated or obtained pursuant to this section that it deems would pose a security threat to the public if disclosed.