California Assembly Bill AB284 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 284AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Quirk FEBRUARY 11, 2013 An act to add Section 25229 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 284, as amended, Quirk. Energy: Road to 2050 Board. Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and vests the commission with various authorities and duties regarding energy-related issues. This bill would require the commission to convene the Road to 2050 Board consisting of representatives from specified entities. The bill would require the board to  contract with an independent research group to  undertake specified studies regarding the achievement of a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of the 1990 emissions level by 2050  (2050 goal)  . The bill would require the board  to conduct a review and provide a full public accounting of energy efficiency programs, alternative energy programs, and alternative fuel programs administered by the members of the board. The bill would require the board to make the accounting available on a publicly available Internet Web site and would require the board to submit to the Legislature the accounting, and a report on the findings of the studies   , on or before January 1, 2015, and every 4 years thereafter, to prepare and adopt the Road to 2050 Report that includes specified information to provide guidance for key infrastructure decisionmaking processes at the local and statewide level to ensure those processes adequately consider implications for meeting the 2050 goal. The bill would require the board to hold a public meeting, on a biennial basis, for the preparation of the Road to 2050 Report . 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. Section 25229 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read: 25229. (a)  The   To ensure that the interests of the people of California are served, the  commission shall convene the Road to 2050 Board consisting of representatives from all of the following: (1) The commission. (2) The Public Utilities Commission. (3) The State Air Resources Board.  (4) The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.   (5)   (4)  The California Environmental Protection Agency.  (6)   (   5)  The Independent System Operator.  (7)   (   6)  The Governor's Office. (b) The board shall do  all   both  of the following:  (1) Study both of the following:   (A) The best process for meeting a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent of the 1990 emissions level by 2050, including how to reduce emissions from electric generators.   (B) Integration of renewable electrical generation into the electric grid in a manner to ensure cost-effectiveness and reliability that would include methods to reduce greenhouse gas emission from homes, farms, industrial and commercial structures, as well as emissions reduction from mobile sources.   (2) Review and provide a full public accounting, on a biennial basis, of all money spent, and jobs and benefits achieved, by each energy efficiency programs, alternative energy programs, and alternative fuel programs administered by the members of the board to ensure that funding is used in a safe, reliable, and cost-effective manner.   (3) Publish a complete accounting conducted pursuant to paragraph (2) on a publicly available Internet Web site.   (1) Contract with an independent research group to focus on a study to determine the best process for meeting the 2050 goal to include all of the following:   (A) The best process for reducing carbon emissions from electrical generation that ensure cost-effectiveness and reliability.   (B) Methods to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from homes, farms, and industrial and commercial structures.   (C) Emission reductions from sources of transportation.   (4)   (   2)  Submit to the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, findings made pursuant to paragraph (1)  or (2)  and identify statutory changes  , policy gaps, and conflicting policies among state agencies  that are needed to  meet   optimize  the objectives of the state's energy  and environmental  policies.  (c) (1) On or before January 1, 2015, and on January 1 of every four years thereafter, the board shall prepare and adopt the Road to 2050 Report to provide guidance for key infrastructure decisionmaking processes at the local and statewide level to ensure those processes adequately consider implications for meeting the 2050 goal.   (2) The report shall contain all of the following:   (A) An overview of the overall reduction is emission of greenhouse gases as a result of California's energy and environmental policies.   (B) Consistent metric integration among the state agencies to ensure the analysis of the information included in the report is reliable and determines cost-effectiveness.   (C) Milestones to represent the progress made towards the 2050 goal and a determination if a change in course of action is appropriate.   (D) Different scenarios describing the best possible roadmap to achieve the 2050 goal.   (i) The scenarios shall be based on policies in effect, and existing technologies and infrastructures at the time of the report.   (ii) The scenarios shall contain separate roadmaps to determine the best process towards the 2050 goal.   (iii) The scenarios shall include a marginal cost curve analysis to better assess the cost-effectiveness of each given scenario.   (3) The board may contract with an independent research group to prepare the report.   (d)     The board shall hold a public hearing, on a biennial basis, for the preparation of the Road to 2050 Report.   (e)     For the purposes of this section, "2050 goal" means the goal of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases by 80 percent from 1990 emission levels by 2050.