Public utilities: research and development projects.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, gas corporations, heat corporations, and telephone corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. Existing law authorizes electrical corporations, gas corporations, heat corporations, and telephone corporations to voluntarily adopt certain research and development programs and authorizes the commission to allow inclusion of expenses for research and development in rates. Existing law requires the commission to consider specified guidelines in evaluating the research, development, and demonstration programs proposed by electrical corporations and gas corporations. Beginning at an unspecified date, this bill would require that findings supporting a decision to approve the inclusion of expenses incurred for research and development projects or programs in electricity rates be informed by independent expert review, as defined. The bill would require the commission by February 1, 2016, and by February 1 of every 3 years thereafter, to submit a report to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature listing all research and development projects where the expenses of the project were or are recovered from ratepayers during the previous 3 years, including for each project the citations of all published papers, all oral and poster presentations given at public meetings, and all patents awarded for the funded research.