Natural gas: methane emissions.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas 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 requires the commission, in order to achieve transparency and accountability for rate revenues and best value for ratepayers, to consider, among other things, providing revenues for all activities identified and required by certain rules and procedures governing the operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of commission-regulated gas pipeline facilities, including any adjustment of allowance for lost and unaccounted for gas related to actual leakage volumes. This bill, on or after January 1, 2019, to the extent feasible and in appropriate proceedings, as determined by the commission, would prohibit the commission from allowing a gas corporation to seek or receive recovery from ratepayers for the value of natural gas lost to the atmosphere from certain natural gas facilities under the control of the gas corporation, as specified.