Energy: petroleum pricing.

The Petroleum Industry Information Reporting Act of 1980 requires each refiner, within 30 days after the end of each month reporting period, to submit to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission certain information regarding petroleum sales volumes and price. The act requires the commission to notify a refiner that has failed to timely provide the required information and imposes a civil penalty on the refiner that fails to submit the required information within 5 days of being notified of the failure. This bill would enact the California Oil Refinery Cost Disclosure Act and would require operators of refineries in the state that produce gasoline meeting California specifications, within 30 days of the end of each calendar month, to submit a report to the commission containing certain information regarding its refining activities related to the production of gasoline in that month. The bill would require the commission to post those reported data, in aggregate, within 45 days of the end of each calendar month, on its internet website. The bill would require the commission to notify a refiner that has failed to timely submit the information required by the bill and would impose the above-described civil penalty on the refiner as specified above. Existing law authorizes a refiner or major marketer required to present to the commission certain information related to its petroleum-related activities to request that certain submitted information be held in confidence. Existing law requires the commission to take certain actions if the commission receives a request to publicly disclose that information and to make a written determination as to whether the requested information should be publicly disclosed. This bill would make the above requirement regarding the confidentiality of submitted information applicable to the information required to be submitted to the commission by the bill. The bill would specify that the confidentiality provision does not apply to aggregate data that are required to be posted on the commission's internet website. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.