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AB-1529 Public Utilities Commission: expeditious review and action.(2001-2002)

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Amended  IN  Assembly  March 27, 2001
Amended  IN  Assembly  January 10, 2002

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2001–2002 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 1529

Introduced  by  Assembly Member Wyman

February 23, 2001

An act to add Section 25551 to the Public Resources 1001.1 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy resources.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1529, as amended, Wyman. Transmission lines Public Utilities Commission: expeditious review and action.
The Public Utilities Act prohibits, among other entities, any gas corporation or electrical corporation from beginning the construction of, among other things, a line, plant, or system, or of any extension thereof, without having first obtained from the Public Utilities Commission a certificate that the present or future public convenience and necessity require or will require that construction.
This bill would require the commission to act as expeditiously as possible, but in no event exceed the timelines provided for in the existing Permit Streamling Act, when reviewing or acting upon an application for a certificate for public convenience and necessity authorizing the construction of any electric plant, line, or extension, or gas plant, line, or extension.

Existing law authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to establish a process for the expedited review of applications to construct and operate powerplants and thermal powerplants and related facilities. The definition of facility includes any electric transmission line or thermal powerplant or both electric transmission line and thermal powerplant.

This bill would require the commission to establish a procedure for the expedited review of any utility corridor, defined by the bill to mean an area in which an electric transmission line, natural gas pipeline, and water pipeline converge.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

Section 25551 is added to the Public Resources

Section 1001.1 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

1001.1.
 The commission shall act as expeditiously as possible, but in no event exceed the timelines provided for in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 65920) of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code, when reviewing or acting upon an application for a certificate for public convenience and necessity pursuant to this article authorizing the construction of any electric plant, line, or extension, or gas plant, line, or extension.

Code, to read:

25551.

(a)Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 25522, and Section 25540.6, the commission shall establish a process to issue its final certification for any utility corridor within four months after the filing of the application for certification which, on the basis of an initial review, shows that the utility corridor will comply with all applicable standards, ordinances, statutes, or regulations.

(b)“Utility corridor,” for purposes of this section, means an area in which an electric transmission line, natural gas pipeline, and water pipeline converge.