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AB-580 Zero-emission energy infrastructure: fallowed farmland.(2023-2024)

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Date Published: 04/17/2023 02:00 PM
AB580:v97#DOCUMENT

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 17, 2023
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 16, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 580

Introduced by Assembly Member Bennett

February 09, 2023

An act to add Section 913.2 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to energy.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 580, as amended, Bennett. Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program: zero-emission energy infrastructure. Zero-emission energy infrastructure: fallowed farmland.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Under existing law, the Legislature appropriated $40,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Conservation to implement the Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program for groundwater sustainability projects that reduce groundwater use, repurpose irrigated agricultural land, and provide wildlife habitat, as specified. it is the policy of the state that eligible renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 90% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2035, 95% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2040, 100% of all retail sales of electricity to California end-use customers by December 31, 2045, and 100% of electricity procured to serve all state agencies by December 31, 2035.
This bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2024, to consult with the Department of Conservation, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, and the Independent System Operator Commission to assess challenges that exist when enabling a recipient of Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant moneys farmers to repurpose their fallowed land for zero-emission energy infrastructure, and to develop best practices for navigating those challenges. The bill also would require the commission, on or before December 31, 2024, to publish on its internet website information to assist these grant recipients farmers in navigating the above-mentioned challenges.

Existing law requires the commission to adopt a process for each load-serving entity, as defined, to file an integrated resource plan and a schedule for periodic updates to the plan to ensure that load-serving entities accomplish specified objectives.

This bill would require the commission to require a load-serving entity to consider in its integrated resource plan the best practices for navigating challenges that exist when Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant recipients repurpose their land for zero-emission energy infrastructure.

Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime.

Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

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

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


SECTION 1.

 Section 913.2 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:
913.2.

(a)As used in this section, “grant recipient” means a recipient of Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program grant moneys who wishes to repurpose their land for zero-emission energy infrastructure, including electricity generation and transmission.

(b)(1)

913.2.
 (a) On or before July 1, 2024, the commission shall consult with the Department of Conservation, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Energy Commission, and the Independent System Operator Commission to assess challenges that exist when enabling grant recipients farmers to repurpose their fallowed land for zero-emission energy infrastructure, and to develop best practices for navigating those challenges.

(2)The commission shall require a load-serving entity to consider the best practices developed pursuant to paragraph (1) in its integrated resource plan adopted pursuant to Section 454.52.

(c)

(b) On or before December 31, 2024, the commission shall publish on its internet website information to assist grant recipients farmers in navigating the challenges identified pursuant to subdivision (b). (a).

SEC. 2.

No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.