Bill Text: CA SB699 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

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

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Bill Title: Public utilities: electrical corporations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-09-25 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 550, Statutes of 2014. [SB699 Detail]

Download: California-2013-SB699-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 699	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 7, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 19, 2013
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 8, 2013
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 4, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Hill

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2013

   An act to add  Section 353.17   Sections
353.17 and 586  to the Public Utilities Code, relating to
electricity.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 699, as amended, Hill. Electricity: electrical corporations:
 Clean   clean  distributed energy
resources.
   Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory
authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations,
as defined. The Public Utilities Act  requires each public
utility to furnish reports to the commission at the time and in the
form as the commission may require and in those reports the utility
is required to specifically answer all questions propounded by the
commission. The act authorizes the commission to require any public
utility to file periodic reports concerning any matter about which
the commission is authorized by any law to inquire or to keep itself
informed, or which it is required to enforce. The act  requires
each electrical corporation, as a part of its distribution planning
process, to consider specified nonutility owned distributed energy
resources as an alternative to investments in its distribution system
to ensure reliable electric services at the lowest possible costs.
   This bill would require  an electrical corporation to annually
report to the commission capital expenditures included in the
distribution category of the electrical corporation's ratebase for
each project. The bill would require an electrical corporation to
report all interconnection costs charged to the customer for each
interconnection agree   ment to interconnect distributed
energy resources. The bill would require  the Public Utilities
Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources
Conservation and Development Commission, to direct an electrical
corporation  to, among other things, determine the location
on the distribution grid where clean distributed energy resources, as
defined, will provide optimal benefits and  to 
consider and  procure clean distributed energy resources  ,
as defined,  to meet distribution grid needs as a part of the
electrical corporation's transmission and distribution grid
infrastructure investments  and to consider and procure clean
distributed energy resources to meet the electrical corporation's
needs as part of any procurement and planning process at the
commission, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development
Commission, or the Independent System Operator  .
   Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any
order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the
Public Utilities Commission is a crime.
   Because the provisions of this bill are within the act and require
action by the Public Utilities Commission to implement its
requirements, a violation of these provisions 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.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Clean distributed energy resources, including distributed
generation, can reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce criteria
air pollution, reduce water consumption, increase grid reliability,
localize power generation, and decrease reliance on large, polluting
generation facilities.
   (b) The Legislature has established programs and policies to
support the commercialization and growth of clean distributed
generation technologies, including the California Solar Initiative,
combined heat and power feed-in tariffs pursuant to the Waste Heat
and Carbon Emissions Reduction Act, the self-generation incentive
program, and the renewable market adjusting tariff.
   (c) A central impediment to increased proliferation of distributed
energy resources is a lack of transparency in current utility
infrastructure investments in the distribution grid and in the costs
and process associated with interconnection to the utility grid,
costs that are ultimately borne by ratepayers.
   (d) Transparency on what distribution grid investments have been
made will allow policymakers and stakeholders to better understand
and evaluate what types of clean distributed energy resources may be
more cost effective and better serve the grid and ratepayers for
future investments.
  SEC. 2.  Section 353.17 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to
read:
   353.17.  (a) The commission, in consultation with the Energy
Commission, shall  direct each electrical corporation to
 do all of the following: 
   (1) Determine the location on the distribution grid where clean
distributed energy resources will provide optimal benefits. 

   (2) Quantify the benefits of those resources.  
   (3) Report to the commission the costs and locations of current
investments in the distribution grid, including relevance to the
interconnection and management of clean distributed energy resources.
 
   (4) Procure 
    (1)     Direct each electrical corporation
to consider and pro   cure  clean distributed energy
resources to meet distribution grid needs as a part of the electrical
corporation's transmission and distribution grid infrastructure
investments. 
   (2) Direct each electrical corporation to consider and procure
clean distributed energy resources to meet the electrical corporation'
s needs as part of any procurement and planning process at the
commission, the Energy Commission, or the Independent System
Operator. 
   (b) For the purposes of this section, "clean distributed energy
resources" means an electric generation technology that meets both of
the following requirements:
   (1) Reduces greenhouse gas emissions as determined by the State
Air Resources Board greenhouse gas emissions factor pursuant to the
California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5
(commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).
   (2) Complies with emission standards and guidance adopted by the
State Air Resources Board pursuant to Sections 41514.9 and 41514.10
of the Health and Safety Code.
   (3) Is interconnected to the electrical corporation's distribution
grid.
   SEC. 3.    Section 586 is added to the  
Public Utilities Code   , to read:  
   586.  (a) For capital expenditures included in the distribution
category of the electrical corporation's ratebase, the electrical
corporation shall annually report expenditures for each project,
including all of the following:
   (1) The total dollar amount.
   (2) The type of equipment installed.
   (3) The purpose of the expenditure.
   (b) The report shall also include the rationale for the deployment
of distributed energy resources, both existing and projected,
factored into its distribution planning assumptions and expenditures.
This shall include both a summary of the methodologies used to track
and anticipate distributed energy system deployments and how that
information is then used for distribution planning.
   (c) For each interconnection agreement executed with customers
that interconnect distributed energy resources, the electrical
corporation shall report all interconnection costs charged to the
customer. 
   SEC. 3.   SEC. 4.   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.