Electrical and gas corporations: reporting.

(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. The Public Utilities Act requires the commission to review and accept, modify, or reject a procurement plan for each electrical corporation in accordance with specified requirements and objectives. The act requires the commission to adopt appropriate procedures to ensure the confidentiality of any market sensitive information submitted in an electrical corporation's proposed procurement plan or resulting from or related to the electrical corporation's approved procurement plan. This bill would require the procedures adopted by the commission to ensure that all information that is reasonably necessary to verify the accuracy of any cost an electrical corporation seeks to recover in rates and charges assessed on bundled or unbundled ratepayers is available without unreasonable restriction to a person participating in commission proceedings in which an electrical corporation seeks approval to recover those costs. The bill would require the commission to ensure that this information is provided for inspection to other load-serving entities in those proceedings, as specified. (2) Existing law requires a public utility to furnish reports and other information as the commission may require. This bill would require the commission to require an electrical or gas corporation to annually submit a report to the commission that identifies the electrical or gas corporation's equipment that is past its useful life and natural gas and diesel backup generation, and that provides related maintenance and safety information, as specified. The bill would require the commission to make those reports available to the public, except as provided. (3) 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 a violation of its provisions or a related order or decision of the commission would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (5) 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.