Public Utilities Commission: customer renewable energy subscription programs and the community renewable energy program.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Under existing law, the Green Tariff Shared Renewables Program requires an electrical corporation with 100,000 or more customers in California to file with the commission an application requesting approval of a tariff to implement a program enabling ratepayers to participate directly in offsite electrical generation facilities that use eligible renewable energy resources. Existing law requires the commission to develop programs to increase the adoption of renewable generation among residential customers in disadvantaged communities, and, acting pursuant to that requirement, the commission has adopted, among others, the Disadvantaged Communities Green Tariff program and the Community Solar Green Tariff program. Existing law imposes various requirements on public works projects, as defined, including a requirement that, at minimum, all workers employed on a public works project be paid the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for work of a similar character in the locality in which a public work is performed, as specified. Existing law requires that contractor and subcontractor payroll records subject to prevailing wage requirements be verified by written declaration under the penalty of perjury, as specified. This bill would require the commission, on or before March 31, 2024, to evaluate each customer renewable energy subscription program, as described, to determine if the program meets specified goals, to authorize the termination or modification of a program that does not meet those goals, and to determine whether it would be beneficial to ratepayers to establish a community renewable energy program. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2024, to establish that program if doing so would be beneficial to ratepayers and to require each electrical corporation to participate in that program. The bill would require each community choice aggregator and electric service provider, within 180 days of the establishment of that program, to notify the commission whether it will participate in the program and would authorize a community choice aggregator or electric service provider to begin participating in, or end its participation in, that program at any time by notifying the commission. The bill would require the community renewable energy program, if established, to be complementary to, and consistent with, specified requirements of the California Building Standards Code, ensure at least 51% of its capacity serves low-income customers, prohibit its costs from being paid by nonparticipating customers, require that the construction of its community renewable energy facilities comply with specified prevailing wage requirements, provide bill credits to subscribers, and prioritize the maximum use of state and federal incentives and accelerate its implementation to ensure that time- or quantity-limited federal incentives can be obtained for the benefit of subscribers, as specified. Because the bill would expand the crime of the penalty of perjury, it would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the commission, on or before March 31, 2024, to report to the Legislature on its actions taken as a result of its evaluation of each customer renewable energy subscription program, its justification for terminating, modifying, or retaining each program, and whether it would be beneficial to ratepayers to establish the community renewable energy program. The bill would also require the commission, within 24 months of establishing the community renewable energy program and annually thereafter, to submit a report to the Legislature on the facilities deployed, and customers subscribed, pursuant to that program. Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the above provisions would be part of the act and a violation of a commission action implementing this bill's requirements would be a crime, 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 a specified reason.