Clean Energy Jobs and Investment Act.

(1) Under the Public Utilities Act, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The Public Utilities Act requires the PUC to require, until January 1, 2012, an electrical corporation to identify a separate electrical rate component (public goods charge) to fund energy efficiency, renewable energy, and research, development, and demonstration programs that enhance system reliability and provide in-state benefits. A violation of the Public Utilities Act is a crime. This bill would extend this requirement to January 1, 2020. Because a violation of this requirement is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill also would, commencing on January 1, 2012, increase the amount of funds the PUC would require an electrical corporation to collect for these purposes. This bill would result in a change in state taxes for the purpose of increasing state revenues within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature. The bill would provide that if the Legislature finds that moneys collected on or after January 1, 2012, are not used for the above-specified purposes, the collection of those moneys would cease at the end of the calendar year in which the Legislature made that finding. (2) Existing law requires that the moneys collected between January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2012, from the electrical corporations for public interest research, development, and demonstration projects be deposited in the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration Fund and be used for the purposes of the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration, Program. This bill would enact the Clean Energy Jobs and Investment Act. This bill would expressly provide that the public goods charge for public interest research, development, and demonstration projects collected before January 1, 2012, be deposited into the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration Fund and expended for the purposes of the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration Program. The bill would establish the Clean Energy Innovation Program Fund in the State Treasury and would require public goods charge collected on and after January 1, 2012, to be deposited into the Clean Energy Innovation Program Fund and expended by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , upon appropriation, for specified purposes. (3) Existing law requires the Energy Commission to establish programs to optimize public investment and ensure that the most cost-effective and efficient investments in renewable energy resources are vigorously pursued (Renewable Energy Resources Program) . Existing law requires, until January 1, 2012, that moneys from the public goods charge collected for renewable energy be transferred to the Renewable Resource Trust Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for the purpose of implementing the program. This bill would revise and recast the Renewable Energy Resources Program to, among other things, provide investment in energy storage technologies. The bill would extend to January 1, 2020, the transfer of the public goods charge collected for renewable energy to the Renewable Resource Trust Fund. The bill would provide that moneys in the Renewable Resource Trust Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be expended for the purposes of the program. (4) Decisions of the PUC adopted the California Solar Initiative (CSI) . Existing law requires the PUC to undertake certain steps in implementing the CSI. Existing law requires the PUC to ensure that the total cost of the CSI over the duration of the program does not exceed $3,350,000,000, including $400,000,000 from the Emerging Renewable Resources Account within the Renewable Resource Trust Fund, for programs for the installation of solar energy systems, as defined, on new construction administered by the Energy Commission (New Solar Homes Partnership) . This bill would provide that the $400,000,000 referenced above be subject to supervision by the PUC. The bill would require the Energy Commission to revise its guidelines applicable to the New Solar Homes Partnership so that the program accomplishes specified matter. (5) The bill would not become operative unless SB 870 of the 2011–12 Regular Session of the Legislature is enacted on or before January 1, 2012. (6) 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. (7) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.