California Air Resources Board

Summary

Requires CARB, in consultation with the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Workforce Development Board, to conduct an evaluation on hydrogen and post the evaluation on CARB’s website by June 1, 2024, including policy recommendations to accelerate the production and use of hydrogen, and specifically to accelerate the production and use of green hydrogen, in California.

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Summary

Among other things, establishes interim targets for the State’s 100 percent clean energy goal in 2045 and accelerates the date by which State agencies must achieve 100 percent clean energy use. This bill requires that CARB’s Scoping Plan workshops be held in non-attainment areas and requires the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Energy Commission, and CARB to create a joint report on electricity reliability.

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Summary

Would have required the California Energy Commission to allocate federal money and Clean Transportation Program monies for purposes of deploying light-, medium-, and heavy-duty zero-‑emission vehicle charging and refueling infrastructure to the State’s commercial ports, including the busiest commercial land port of entry in the State. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Authorizes the extension of operating the Diablo Canyon Nuclear power plant (DCPP) beyond the current expiration dates (2024 for Unit 1 and 2025 for Unit 2), to up to five additional years (no later than 2029 and 2030, respectively), under specified conditions. This bill also authorizes a loan of $1.4 billion from the State to Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the operator of DCPP, to facilitate the extension of the plant. This bill appropriates $600 million and requires future Legislative action for the remaining funding. This bill also provides expedited permitting to facilitate relicensing of DCPP, including:  limiting State agency review of applications related to the DCPP extension to 180 days, exempting DCPP from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and explicitly authorizing collections from electric ratepayers (both customers of PG&E and those of other electricity providers) for ongoing costs. The California Energy Commission, in consultation with CARB, must develop a Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan, due to the Legislature by March 1, 2023, that supports programs and projects that accelerate the deployment of clean energy resources, support demand response, assist ratepayers, and increase energy reliability.

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Summary

Would have defined “renewable hydrogen” and tasked the California Public Utilities Commission with considering establishing renewable hydrogen procurement goals for each gas utility and transporter and  evaluating whether it is just and reasonable to allow a gas utility to recover from its ratepayers the costs of infrastructure built to deliver biomethane, renewable hydrogen, or both from a producer to the pipeline. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required each electrical corporation to implement a plan to address climate change-related impacts to its respective electric plant, as defined, including prioritizing the replacement of equipment identified as most vulnerable to extreme heat events and other extreme weather events due to climate change. The bill would have also additionally required an electrical corporation to include a plan in its annual reliability report that addresses expected impacts, as specified, to the electrical distribution system from climate change, including impacts to transformers, substations, and electrical lines, that may result in a loss of electrical service of over an unspecified number of hours. The bill would have also required each electrical corporation to describe what investments have been made to better prepare its equipment for the impacts from climate change. Was not heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

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Summary

Would have established the Climate Pollution Reduction in Homes Initiative and required the Department of Community Services and Development to administer the initiative to provide grants for projects, including, but not limited to, those that provide financial assistance to low-income households for the purchase of zero-carbon-emitting appliances. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Exempts an extension, expansion, upgrade, or other modification of an existing transmission line or substations from the requirement of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and directs the California Public Utilities Commission to revise its general orders, by January 1, 2024, to instead use its permit to construct a process for these approvals.

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Summary

Would have authorized a gas corporation that serves an area that will host the 2028 Olympics to identify and propose a green hydrogen project, as defined, or multiple projects, in cooperation with the United States Olympic Paralympic Committee, the City of Los Angeles, or the County of Los Angeles to achieve described purposes. If a green hydrogen project was identified and proposed, the bill would have authorized the gas corporation to file an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval to undertake the project or projects. The bill would have required CPUC to approve, or modify and approve, a project or projects and associated investments in green hydrogen and hydrogen-related infrastructure, and to authorize recovery of those expenses incurred through a reasonable cost recovery mechanism. Was not heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

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Summary

Would have revised the SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) policy to establish a goal that 100 percent of electrical load be supplied by eligible clean energy resources, as defined. The bill would have established the California 24/7 Clean Energy Standard Program, that would phase in clean energy requirements through 2035. The bill would have required the California Energy Commission (CEC), in consultation with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California balancing authorities, to establish compliance periods and subperiods that meet certain criteria. The bill would have required CPUC to establish for each retail seller, and CEC for each local publicly owned electric utility, clean energy procurement requirements for each compliance period and subperiod, as provided. Was not heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

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