BILL NUMBER: AB 33 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 23, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 6, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Quirk
DECEMBER 1, 2014
An act to add Section 38561.5 to the Health and Safety Code,
relating to greenhouse gases.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 33, as amended, Quirk. California Global Warming Solutions Act
of 2006: Energy Integration Sector
Emissions Reduction Advisory Council.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes
the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for
monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act
requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for
achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The California
Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities
Commission to implement annual procurement targets for the
procurement of eligible renewable energy resources for all retail
sellers to achieve the targets and goals of the program.
emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5
years.
This bill would establish the Energy Integration
Sector Emissions Reduction Advisory Council in
state government and would require the council to develop
recommendations recommend strategies for the
electricity sector for inclusion in
incorporation into the scoping plan prepared by the state
board, based on conclusions of specified analyses,
including, among others, an analysis of the various strategies
necessary for the energy grid to integrate specified annual
procurement targets as part of the California Renewables Portfolio
Standard Program. that could be implemented to reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases from the electricity sector and
integrate increasing amounts of renewable energy into the electricity
grid. The bill would require the council to first convene by
February 1, 2016, and to develop a schedule that ensures the
recommendations and analyses are delivered to the state board early
enough to be considered during development of the next scoping plan
update. The bill would provide that the council shall cease to exist
as of the end of the following December 31 after the council delivers
its recommendations and analyses to the state board.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
(1) Several state agencies, boards, commissions, and other
entities possess expertise on how to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases from the electricity sector, in furtherance of the state's mid-
and long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals.
(2) These agencies and entities have completed and are performing
analyses of the changes that will be needed in how electricity is
generated, delivered, and consumed throughout the state, and the
technologies and other strategies that can be used to help achieve
those goals.
(3) The State Air Resources Board is charged by the California
Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with
Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code) with developing and
updating a scoping plan to achieve the state's greenhouse gas
emission reduction goals.
(4) In developing the next scoping plan update, the State Air
Resources Board should consider the best information, modeling, and
analysis produced by the relevant state agencies on available
strategies that could be implemented to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from the state's power supply, while ensuring the
reliability of the electricity grid, and the technical feasibility
and cost-effectiveness of those strategies.
(b) The purpose and intent of this act is to complement the
relevant state agencies' ongoing efforts and ensure that these
agencies coordinate, through a public process and in furtherance of
the state's greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, to develop and
deliver a complete and coherent set of recommendations to the State
Air Resources Board before the next scoping plan update on
technically feasible strategies that will achieve the required
reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases from the electricity
sector in a manner that is cost-effective and maintains reliability,
including those strategies that will be needed to integrate
increasing amounts of renewable energy into the electricity grid
while minimizing over-generation.
SECTION 1. SEC. 2. Section 38561.5
is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
38561.5. (a) The Energy Integration
Sector Emissions Reduction Advisory Council is hereby
established in state government, and it shall consist of all of the
following members:
(1) The chair of the State Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission, or his or her designee.
(2) The president of the Public Utilities Commission, or his or
her designee.
(3) The president of the California Independent System Operator,
or his or her designee.
(4) The chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, or his
or her designee.
(5) The chair of the state board, or his or her designee.
(b) The council, as recommendations for inclusion in
council shall recommend strategies for the electricity
sector, other than and in addition to any market-based mechanisms
established pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 38562 or Section
38570, for incorporation into the scoping plan developed
pursuant to Section 38561, shall complete all of the
following: 38561, based on the conclusions of all of
the following analyses that the council shall complete:
(1) Develop an An analysis of the
various
strategies necessary for the energy grid to integrate a
40-percent, a 50-percent, and a greater than 50-percent standard as
part of the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program (Article
16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of
Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code) in order to
that could be implemented to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
from the electricity sector and integrate increasing
amounts of renewable energy into the electricity grid, which
evaluates and compares these strategies based upon their technical
feasibility, cost-effe ctiveness, and the extent to which
their implementation would minimize and eliminate
over-generation and the need for curtailment, including, but not
limited to, all of the following: over-generation,
maintain the reliability of the electricity grid, and reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases. The analysis shall consider, at a
minimum, all of the following strategies in light of the criteria
indicated in this paragraph:
(A) Increasing the volume of renewable energy generation by the
amounts required by state law or otherwise needed to achieve the
goals established pursuant to Section 38550.
(A)
( B) Deepening regional coordination in the
western interconnection. Western
Interconnection.
(B)
( C) Increasing energy storage.
storage, including pumped-hydroelectric storage.
(C)
( D) Retrofitting existing baseload
natural gas-fired electrical generation
facilities in order that they may perform as peaking
electrical generation facilities. to increase their
operational flexibility.
(D)
(E) Using renewable energy generation facilities
as peaking electrical generation facilities.
to provide operational flexibility.
(E) Allowing for very low-carbon
(F) Deploying carbon capture and storage
and other greenhouse gas emissions reduction technology at existing
fossil fuel peaking fuel-fired
electrical generation facilities by deploying carbon capture
and storage. facilities.
(F) Encouraging
(G) Increasing the role of demand
response through both all of the
following:
(i) Transitioning to time-of-use pricing
or real-time pricing, or both, for residential
buildings. all customer classes.
(ii) Increasing market integration of, and opportunities for,
supply-side demand response.
(ii)
(iii) Increasing customer access to real-time or
near-real-time energy usage data. and
wholesale price data, enhancing the sharing of these data with third
parties, and enabling the market for programmable devices that use
these data.
(H) Increasing energy efficiency.
(I) Ensuring that adequate generating capacity remains available
to meet demand through measures such as multi-year capacity or
reliability payments.
(2) Develop an An economic
assessment analysis using the best available
economic models and data of the various strategies required to be
analyzed pursuant to paragraph (1).
(3) Develop an An analysis of the
benefits to the health, safety, and welfare of state residents,
worker safety, the state's environment and quality of life, and any
other benefits associated with the various strategies required to be
analyzed pursuant to paragraph (1).
(c) The council shall first convene no later than February 1,
2016, and, at that time, develop a schedule in consultation with the
chair of the state board for delivery of the recommendations and
analyses required by subdivision (b) that shall ensure the
recommendations and analyses are delivered to the staff of the state
board early enough to be considered during development of the next
scoping plan update required by Section 38561. The council's
preliminary recommendations and analyses shall be made available for
public comment for no less than thirty days. After considering
comments received, the council shall finalize and deliver the
recommendations and analyses required by subdivision (b) to the state
board, at which time the council's duties shall be completed, and
the council shall cease to exist as of the end of the following
December 31.
(c)
(d) The information developed
recommendations made and analyses completed pursuant to
subdivision (b) is are intended to
assist in establishing state policy updating
the scoping plan pursuant to Section 38561 and does
to inform the regulations and approaches of the
represented agencies and do not change any statute, regulation,
or regulatory decision.