Economic development: energy management area and plans.

Existing law requires cities and counties to develop and update a general plan, which consists of various elements, including a land use element, a circulation element, a housing element, a conservation element, a noise element, and a safety element. This bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to collaborate with an electrical or gas corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or rural electric cooperative to designate an energy management area, as specified. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to propose one or more energy management plans, developed jointly with an electrical corporation, gas corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or rural electric cooperative, serving an energy management area, in order to reduce air emissions and to promote economic development, the addition of new business, and the retention of existing businesses in that energy management area. The bill would require the Public Utilities Commission to encourage electrical or gas corporations to participate jointly with local agencies in developing, implementing, and administering viable energy management plans for energy management areas, and would prohibit the commission from limiting the role of the electrical or gas corporation that was cooperatively developed in the energy management plan. The bill would require the city, county, or city and county to report the progress of any plan implementation in its biennial report to the Department of Housing and Community Development, as provided. Under the Bergeson-Peace Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Act, the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank is established within state government for the purpose of funding specified types of infrastructure development projects. This bill would make a project to promote economic development in energy management areas developed pursuant to an energy management plan in accordance with the bill eligible for funding through the bank. The bill would require the bank to consider acts it may take, at its discretion, that facilitate the financing of that project.