California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program: bioenergy projects.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law requires electrical corporations, by December 1, 2016, to collectively procure, through financial commitments of 5 years, their proportionate share of 125 megawatts of cumulative rated generating capacity from bioenergy projects commencing operation before June 1, 2013, and requires a local publicly owned electric utility serving more than 100,000 customers to procure its proportionate share of 125 megawatts of cumulative rated generating capacity from bioenergy projects subject to terms of at least 5 years. This bill would extend to December 31, 2023, the electrical corporations' obligation to collectively procure their proportionate share of 125 megawatts of cumulative rated generating capacity from existing bioenergy projects commencing operation before June 1, 2013, through financial commitments of 5 to 15 years, inclusive. The bill would exempt from these requirements a local publicly owned electric utility that previously entered into a 5-year financial commitment under existing law under certain conditions. The bill would require any incremental procurement of electricity products from bioenergy resources by a new contract or contract extension of 5 years or longer in duration to be from a resource that meets emission limits equivalent to, or more stringent than, the applicable best available retrofit control technology, as specified. Existing law requires an electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, or community choice aggregator with a contract to procure electricity generated from biomass that is operative at any time in 2018, and expires or expired on or before December 31, 2023, to seek to amend the contract to include, or seek approval for a new contract that includes, an expiration date 5 years later than the expiration date in the contract that was operative in 2018, except as specified. This bill would require those entities with a contract to procure electricity generated from biomass that expires or expired on or before December 31, 2028, to seek to amend the contract to include, or seek approval for a new contract that includes, an expiration date 5 years later than the expiration date in the contract that was operative in 2022. By imposing additional duties on community choice aggregators and local publicly owned electric utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because certain 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. 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 specified reasons.