Greenhouse gases emissions intensity reporting: retail electricity suppliers.

Under existing law, entities offering electric services in California are required to disclose information on the sources of energy that are used to provide electric services. Existing law requires every retail supplier, as defined, that makes an offer to sell electricity that is consumed in California to disclose its electricity sources for the previous calendar year. These disclosures are required to be made to end-use consumers and potential end-use consumers. Existing law requires a retail supplier to disclose its electricity sources as a percentage of annual sales that is derived from specified sources of energy, including eligible renewable energy resources. Existing law requires that retail suppliers annually report to the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) certain information for each electricity offering from "specified sources," as defined, for the previous calendar year and authorizes the Energy Commission to verify environmental claims made by retail suppliers. This bill would, among other things, require the Energy Commission, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board, to adopt a methodology for the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions intensity for each purchase of electricity by a retail supplier to serve its retail customers. The bill would require a retail supplier, including an electrical corporation, local publicly owned electric utility, electric service provider, and community choice aggregator, to also disclose both the greenhouse gases emissions intensity of any electricity portfolio offered to its retail customers, as specified, and the Energy Commission's calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with all statewide retail electricity sales. The bill would require a retail supplier to annually report to the Energy Commission certain additional information for each electricity offering for the previous calendar year and would authorize the Energy Commission to verify procurement claims, in addition to environmental claims, made by retail suppliers. The bill would require the Energy Commission, on or before January 1, 2018, to adopt guidelines, through an open process, subject to public comment, and adopted by a vote of the Energy Commission, for the reporting and disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions intensity. The bill would require retail suppliers, beginning June 1, 2020, to report data on greenhouse gas emissions intensity associated with retail sales occurring after December 31, 2018, except as provided. The Public Utilities Act makes any public utility and any corporation other than a public utility guilty of a crime, if the public utility or corporation violates the act or fails to comply with any part of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission. 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 by an electrical corporation or electric service provider would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by expanding what is a crime. By placing additional reporting duties upon local publicly owned electric utilities, 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.