Electrical transmission lines.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The existing Public Utilities Act prohibits any electrical corporation from beginning the construction of, among other things, a line, plant, or system, or of any extension thereof, without having first obtained from the commission a certificate that the present or future public convenience and necessity require or will require that construction (certificate of public convenience and necessity) . The act requires that an electrical corporation proposing to construct an electrical transmission line to the northwestern United States provide the commission with sufficient reliable information to enable the commission to determine that the proposed line, at rates expected to prevail over the useful life of the line, will be cost effective and prohibits the commission from issuing a certificate of public convenience and necessity unless it is satisfied that the electrical corporation has provided the required information. This bill would prohibit an electrical corporation from reconstructing an electrical transmission line that runs through a residential community so that the towers supporting the lines are increased in height by more than 33%, unless the commission determines that (1) reconstructing the electrical transmission line is needed and no reasonable alternative exists to reconstruction, (2) the electrical corporation has undertaken, and will continue to undertake, all reasonable means to eliminate or mitigate risks to the public safety resulting from the reconstruction, and (3) the electrical corporation has agreed to provide just compensation to all residential landowners near the transmission line to compensate them for any reduction in the value of their property resulting from the reconstruction. 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.