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.