California Assembly Bill AB2630 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2630AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Salas FEBRUARY 19, 2016 An act to add Section 399.23 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to electricity. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2630, as amended, Salas. San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy and Jobs Act. Existing law, the Public Utilities Act, establishes the Independent System Operator to ensure the efficient use and reliable operation of the electric transmission grid. The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 establishes a target of 50% for the amount of electricity generated and sold to retail customers per year from eligible renewable energy resources, to be achieved by December 31, 2030. This bill would require the Public Utilities Commission and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to  evaluate   evaluate, while taking into consideration ratepayer costs and   benefits, potential renewable energy projects  on least-conflict lands  in the San Joaquin Valley, as specified, and, on or before January 31, 2017, using that evaluation, to recommend to the Independent System Operator an amount of renewable energy production in the San Joaquin Valley that reasonably maximizes, consistent with the state's overall need for renewable energy, the  use of least-conflict lands as identified by   amount of renewable energy produced in  the San Joaquin  Valley Solar Convening.   Valley.  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. This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy and Jobs Act. SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code) established a policy to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2020 and to continue reductions of emissions of greenhouse gases beyond 2020. (b) The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 (Chapter 547 of the Statutes of 2015) established further clean energy policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and expand renewable energy to at least 50 percent of total retail sales of electricity in California by December 31, 2030. (c) The San Joaquin Valley remains mired in chronic double digit unemployment, unprecedented rates of poverty, a severe ongoing drought, and poor air quality. (d) California's energy sector is undergoing significant advancement and transformation driven by evolving regulation, expanding renewable energy goals, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts. (e) While rich in natural resources and clean energy opportunities, the San Joaquin Valley has largely been left behind in California's clean energy revolution. The overwhelming majority of the state's new transmission assets have been sited in other regions, particularly southern California, and renewable energy investment, jobs, and economic and environmental benefits have followed grid access. (f) Unlocking the renewable energy potential of the San Joaquin Valley by providing more equitable investment in a clean energy economy should be a key priority of California policymakers. (g) Timely investment and improved transmission access are critical to the San Joaquin Valley and will allow the region to more effectively and efficiently develop clean energy opportunities, create jobs, and derive cobenefits for disadvantaged communities. (h) The Governor's office is nearing completion of the San Joaquin Valley Solar Convening to identify high potential  least-conflict lands for  solar energy  development   developments  in the San Joaquin Valley that maximize renewable energy benefits and minimize environmental biological and habitat impacts.  (i) Development of renewable energy projects on least-conflict lands will provide for the economically viable and environmentally beneficial reuse of physically impaired agricultural soils, facilitate solutions to agricultural drainage problems by retiring marginal agricultural land from irrigated agriculture, and redirect increasing scarce surface water supplies from impaired lands to more productive agricultural land.   (j)   (i)  As future clean energy investments are planned and implemented, state officials must ensure an appropriate share is targeted to improve environmental quality, expand economic development, contribute to environmental solutions, and create jobs in the San Joaquin Valley. SEC. 3. Section 399.23 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read: 399.23. (a) The Public Utilities Commission and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission shall  evaluate   evaluate, while taking into consideration ratepayer costs and   benefits,  potential renewable energy projects  on least-conflict lands  in the San Joaquin Valley. Evaluation of projects that provide the following benefits shall be prioritized: (1) The economically viable and environmentally beneficial reuse of drainage-impaired agricultural lands. (2) The retirement of drainage-impaired agricultural land and facilitation of regional agricultural drainage solutions. (3) The facilitation of surface water supply redirection from drainage-impaired agricultural lands to other productive agricultural land. (b) Using the results of the evaluation, on or before January 31, 2017, the Public Utilities Commission and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission shall recommend to the Independent System Operator an amount of renewable energy production in the San Joaquin Valley that reasonably maximizes, consistent with the state's overall need for renewable energy, the  use of least-conflict lands as identified by   amount of renewable energy produced in  the San Joaquin  Valley Solar Convening.   Valley.