Bill Text: CA SB1032 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

California Senate Bill 1032 (Prior Session Legislation)

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

Bill Title: State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: electrical transmission grid development and expansion: study.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-08-11 - August 11 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB1032 Detail]

Download: California-2021-SB1032-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly June 06, 2022

Amended IN Senate April 28, 2022

Amended IN Senate April 07, 2022

Amended IN Senate March 16, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1032

Introduced by Senator Becker

February 15, 2022

An act to add and repeal Section ~~913.2~~ 25216.2 of the Public ~~Utilities~~ Resources Code, relating to electricity.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1032, as amended, Becker. ~~Public Utilities~~ State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission: electrical transmission grid development and expansion: study.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electricalcorporations. Under existing law, it is the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2045. Existing law requires the commission to submit various reports to the Legislature. requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to undertake various actions in furtherance of meeting the state’s clean energy and pollution reduction objectives. Existing law requires the commission to provide for research and development in, among other things, improvements in energy generation, transmission, and siting and other topics related to energy supply, demand, public safety, ecology, and conservation that are of particular statewide importance. Existing law requires the commission to carry out studies, technical assessments, research projects, and data collection directed to reducing wasteful, inefficient, unnecessary, or uneconomic uses of energy, including advances in power generation and transmission technology.

This bill would require the commission, on or before January 1, 2024, to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a study identifying proposals to accelerate the development of, and reduce the cost to ratepayers of expanding, the state’s electrical transmission grid as necessary to achieve the state’s goals, and meet the state’s requirements, to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, as specified.

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

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

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all the following:

(a) The 2021 SB 100 Joint Agency Report estimated that the state ~~will~~ may need to add 175 gigawatts of new renewable or zero-carbon electrical generation capacity to the electrical grid by 2045 to achieve the goal of serving 100 percent of retail sales of electricity from renewable or zero-carbon sources. This anticipated zero-carbon capacity requirement represents an increase of nearly three times the electrical grid’s current total generation capacity across all resource types.

(b) The Independent System Operator, in its 20-Year Transmission Outlook from January 2022, estimated that $30,500,000,000 may need to be invested in new transmission capacity by 2040 in order to support the increase in new clean energy generation and projected increases in electrical demand.

(c) New transmission lines require completing many time-consuming steps before they come online and deliver electricity, including acquiring rights-of-way, obtaining land use and environmental permits, and constructing the transmission lines and related infrastructure. Major new transmission lines can take more than a decade from their initial planning stage to operation.

(d) While large investments in clean energy generation and transmission infrastructure are necessary to achieve the state’s goals for reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, concerns about the affordability of energy require the state to seek ways to reduce the cost and risk of building this infrastructure.

SEC. 2.Section 913.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
913.2.

SEC. 2.

Section 25216.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

25216.2.

(a) On or before January 1, 2024, the commission, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, Treasurer’s Office, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, Independent System Operator, and ~~Energy Commission,~~ other California balancing authorities, as defined in Section 399.12 of the Public Utilities Code, shall submit to the Governor and the Legislature a study, including findings and recommendations, identifying proposals to accelerate the development of, and reduce the cost to ratepayers of expanding, the state’s electrical transmission grid as necessary to achieve the state’s goals, and meet the state’s requirements, to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, as specified in statute, regulation, or executive order.

(b) In conducting the study, the commission shall consider all of the following:

~~(1)Public ownership of transmission facilities.~~
~~(2)~~

(1) Public financing of transmission projects, including approaches to lower the cost of financing, and the use of nonratepayer funds to pay, a portion of the costs of transmission projects necessary to achieve relevant public policy goals.

~~(3)~~

(2) Public private partnerships to provide state support for siting and permitting transmission projects and obtaining land use rights.

~~(4)~~

(3) Opportunities to reduce redundancy and streamline permitting processes related to transmission projects.

(4) Other proposals identified by the commission or other consulted parties that, in the judgment of the commission, could accelerate the development of, and reduce the cost to ratepayers of expanding, the state’s electrical transmission grid.

(5) Estimated cost savings of each proposal.

(6) The potential impact that each proposal may have on the state’s liability for damages caused by transmission facilities, including damages resulting from wildfires.
(c) In conducting the study, the commission shall provide opportunities for public input on which proposals to consider and on draft findings and recommendations.
~~(c)~~

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed.