Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt rules and regulations that will achieve ambient air quality standards required by the federal Clean Air Act, as specified. Existing law requires the state board, following a noticed public hearing, to adopt airborne toxic control measures to reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants from nonvehicular sources. Pursuant to this authority, the state board has adopted the Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Fuel Sulfur and Other Operational Requirements for Ocean-Going Vessels within California Waters and 24 Nautical Miles of the California Baseline regulation to require the use of low-sulfur marine distillate fuels in order to reduce emissions of particulate matter, diesel particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides from the use of auxiliary diesel and diesel-electric engines, main propulsion diesel engines, and auxiliary boilers on oceangoing vessels. This bill would require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , in coordination with the State Lands Commission, the Transportation Agency, and the state board, to develop a plan on or before December 31, 2030, for the alternative fuel needs of oceangoing vessels that call at California's public seaports and that enables the seaports to meet their emission reduction goals. The bill would require that the plan do specified things, including, among other things, identify barriers to permitting alternative fuel facilities at seaports and opportunities to address those barriers. The bill would require the Energy Commission to convene a working group to advise the Energy Commission on the development of the information required to be included in the plan, as specified. The bill would require the state board to provide the Energy Commission with information regarding fuels for oceangoing vessels that comply with the state board's regulations for those vessels.
Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, local publicly owned electric utilities, and interested members of the public, to establish eligibility criteria for solar energy systems receiving ratepayer-funded incentives, as specified. Existing law requires the Energy Commission to adopt guidelines for solar energy systems receiving ratepayer-funded incentives, as provided. This bill would authorize the Energy Commission to establish distributed energy resource equipment lists with rating standards for equipment and components for solar energy systems, distributed energy storage systems, and electric vehicle service equipment, as specified. The bill would define various terms for these purposes. The bill would require the Energy Commission to also adopt guidelines for the distributed energy resource equipment lists, as provided.
Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt and implement motor vehicle emission standards, in-use performance standards, and motor vehicle fuel specifications for the control of air contaminants and sources of air pollution that the state board has found necessary, cost effective, and technologically feasible. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the state board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases and requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions from those sources. Pursuant to its authority, the state board has adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation, which imposes various requirements for transitioning local, state, and federal government fleets of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, other high-priority fleets of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and drayage trucks to zero-emission vehicles. The Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation authorizes entities subject to the regulation to apply for exemptions from its requirements under certain circumstances. This bill would require the state board to establish the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation Appeals Advisory Committee by an unspecified date for purposes of reviewing appeals of denied requests for exemptions from the requirements of the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation. The bill would require the committee to include representatives of specified governmental and nongovernmental entities. The bill would require the committee to meet monthly and would require recordings of its meetings to be made publicly available on the state board's internet website. The bill would require the committee to consider, and make a recommendation on, an appeal of an exemption request denial no later than 60 days after the appeal is made. The bill would require specified information relating to the committee's consideration of an appeal to be made publicly available on the state board's internet website. The bill would require the state board to consider a recommendation of the committee at a public meeting no later than 60 days after the recommendation is made. This bill would exempt from the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation or any similar regulation vehicles reasonably anticipated to respond to emergency situations, or that support those efforts. The bill would prohibit the state board from requiring a state or local government fleet owner to provide documentation showing an executed zero-emissions vehicle purchase agreement in order to count an internal combustion engine vehicle as a zero-emissions vehicle purchase for purposes of postponing a zero-emissions vehicle transition mandate in the Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation.
Existing law establishes the California Conservation Corps and requires young adults participating in the corps program to be generally engaged in projects that do specified things, including, among other things, projects that directly contribute to the conservation of energy. This bill would instead require young adults participating in the corps program to be generally engaged in projects that, among other things, promote or contribute to the conservation of energy and the development or enhancement of clean energy, climate resilience, or sustainable nature-based solutions. Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that the corps blend academic and job skills training with personal growth opportunities in order to develop productive youths who can make substantial contributions as California workers and citizens. This bill would require the Director of the California Conservation Corps to establish a Green Collar Certification Program that provides corpsmembers participating in the corps with skills and education including, but not limited to, reducing carbon emissions in residential and nonresidential buildings, preparing communities for environmental disasters, and developing conservation infrastructure projects that stabilize shorelines and restore ecological habitats, as provided. The bill would require the director to issue a Green Collar Certificate to a corpsmember who successfully completes the program. The bill would require the director, in administering the program, to collaborate with specified entities to identify emerging workforce needs, as specified. The bill would authorize the director to authorize certified community conservation corps to implement the program pursuant to guidelines established by the corps, as specified. This bill would also authorize the director to apply for and accept grants or donations of funds from any public or private source that are provided for specified purposes relating to the program. The bill would establish the Green Collar Certification Program Fund and would require the grants or donations described above to be deposited into the fund. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund to the director for specified purposes relating to the program. By providing for the continuous appropriation of fund moneys to the director, this bill would create an appropriation.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions level in 1990 to be achieved by 2020 and to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2030. The act requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years. Existing law requires the state board, as part of its scoping plan, to establish specified carbon dioxide removal targets for 2030 and beyond. Existing law, the California Climate Crisis Act, declares the policy of the state both to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, but no later than 2045, and achieve and maintain net negative greenhouse gas emissions thereafter, and to ensure that by 2045, statewide anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 85% below the 1990 levels. This bill would, for the purpose of meeting, or tracking progress against, any state requirement to achieve net zero emissions of greenhouse gases, authorize only qualified carbon dioxide removal, as defined, to be used to counterbalance the state's or an entity's greenhouse gas emissions and would require qualified carbon dioxide removal used for those purposes to meet certain requirements, as specified. Existing law requires the state board to establish a Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization, and Storage Program to, among other things, evaluate the efficacy, safety, and viability of carbon capture, utilization, or storage technologies and carbon dioxide removal technologies and facilitate the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide from those technologies, where appropriate. In furtherance of the objectives of that program, existing law authorizes the state board, by January 1, 2024, to adopt protocols to support additional methods of utilization or storage of captured carbon dioxide. This bill would indefinitely authorize the state board to adopt those protocols, and protocols to support methods of utilization or storage of removed carbon dioxide.
Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) , in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , on or before March 31, 2024, to provide transmission-focused guidance to the Independent System Operator about resource portfolios of expected future renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources, including the allocation of those resources by region based on technical feasibility and commercial interest in each region to allow the Independent System Operator to identify and approve transmission facilities needed to interconnect resources and reliably serve the needs of load centers, as specified . On December 23, 2022, the PUC, Energy Commission, and Independent System Operator entered into a memorandum of understanding related to resource and transmission planning, transmission development and permitting, procurement, and interconnections in order to achieve reliability and policy needs and to coordinate the timely development of resources, resource interconnections, and needed transmission infrastructure. Existing law requires the Energy Commission and PUC, in coordination with the Independent System Operator, every 5 years, to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum of understanding and a related workplan to ensure the memorandum and workplan reflect the coordination that is needed to help meet the state's energy goals. This bill would require those entities to review and update, as necessary, the memorandum every 3 years, rather than every 5 years.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. Existing law prohibits an electrical or gas corporation from disconnecting service for nonpayment by a residential customer receiving a medical baseline allowance, financially unable to pay for service within the normal payment period, willing to enter into an amortization agreement with the corporation with respect to all charges that the customer is unable to pay, and meets certain other requirements. This bill would prohibit an electrical or gas corporation from disconnecting service of a customer for 3 months, if the customer meets certain requirements, as provided. The bill would require the corporation to grant that customer a 3-month deferment for any and all payments due from the date that the deferment is granted. Upon the expiration of the deferment period, the bill would require the customer to enroll in the electrical or gas corporation's arrearage management program or be enrolled in an available payment plan for which the customer is eligible, if the customer is not eligible for the arrearage management plan, for any and all debts on the customer's account. The bill would prohibit a customer who participates in the payment deferral from being eligible for a subsequent 3-month payment deferral within 18 months of their participation in the payment deferral. The bill would authorize the commission to adopt rules to implement these provisions. 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 provisions of this bill would be a part of the act, a violation of which, or a violation of an order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission implementing those provisions, 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.
Existing law provides that the Department of Food and Agriculture has general supervision of the weights and measures and weighing and measuring devices sold or used in the state, including devices used to measure electricity sold as a motor vehicle fuel. Existing law regulates the use and repair of weighing or measuring devices. Existing law authorizes a device to be placed in service only by a sealer or a service agency. Existing law prohibits, until January 1, 2028, requiring electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to be retested or placed in service by a service agency or sealer, if the EVSE has previously been placed in service by a service agency or sealer, before the EVSE is used after receiving maintenance, as specified. This bill would authorize an EVSE that has been audited or tested by the manufacturer or supplier to be used commercially without further testing during the remainder of the inspection period adopted by the Secretary of Food and Agriculture, but not until it has been sealed by a sealer. The bill would, among other things, require the county sealer to ensure that certain EVSE installed before January 1, 2026, are initially placed in service and tested by a sealer on or before January 1, 2027, at no additional cost other than the registration fees paid by the EVSE owner or operator. The bill would, until January 1, 2028, if an EVSE has previously been placed in service, no longer require the EVSE to be retested or placed in service by a service agency or sealer before the EVSE is used after receiving maintenance in a manner that does not affect the EVSE being correct. The bill would require the Division of Measurement Standards, on or before January 1, 2027, to issue guidance and develop statewide resources relevant to weights and measures for EVSE, as specified, and to consider and implement optional pathways for EVSE testing and placed-in-service requirements, including in-factory auditing or testing and certification by a factory- or supplier-registered service agency.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and prescribes the authorities, duties, and responsibilities of the commission pertaining to energy matters. Existing law requires the commission, on or before January 1, 2019, in consultation with the Contractors State License Board, local building officials, and other stakeholders, to approve a plan that promotes compliance with specified regulations relating to building energy efficiency standards in the installation of central air-conditioning and heat pumps, as specified. Existing law authorizes the commission to adopt regulations to increase compliance with permitting and inspection requirements for central air-conditioning and heat pumps, and associated sales and installations, consistent with the above-described plan. The bill would require a city, county, or city and county to adopt and offer asynchronous inspections for installations of residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC systems, as defined, that do not require a licensed contractor and building inspector to be simultaneously present during the inspection. The bill would authorize a building inspector to contact the licensed contractor who performed the installation by telephone call or real-time video conferencing during their inspection, and, if the building inspector determines during an asynchronous inspection that there is an issue with an installation of the heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system and that the licensed contractor who performed the installation must be present to perform tests or cure the installation, to require the licensed contractor who performed the installation to schedule an additional inspection in which the building inspector and the licensed contractor who performed the installation are required to be simultaneously present during the additional inspection. The bill would specify that these provisions do not require a local entity described above to discontinue offering inspections for the installation of a residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system that require a building inspector and licensed contractor to be simultaneously present. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county, except as specified, to issue up to one nondiscretionary permit per installation of a residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system in which the local entity administratively approves an application to install the residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system. The bill would authorize a city, county, or city and county to apply only certain additional building, planning or zoning, or workforce labor standards on the installation of a residential heat pump water heater or residential heat pump HVAC system, including additional standards that conform to local laws, including reach codes, designed to encourage the adoption of zero-emission equipment or improvement of building efficiency. The bill would prohibit a local entity described above from requiring a permit or inspection for plug-in ready window air-conditioner or window heat pump HVAC systems, provided that certain requirements are met, including that the appliance has a voltage rating of 120 volts or less and the appliance is a self-contained unit. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop standardized permitting checklists, as prescribed, for local governments to use in the permitting process for installations of residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC systems, as specified, subject to certain requirements, including that the standardized permitting checklists do not exceed 2 pages in length. The bill would require a city, county, or city and county, on or before July 1, 2027, to implement an online automated permitting process that verifies code compliance and issues permits in real time within the same day of the application being submitted to a licensed contractor for the installation of a residential heat pump water heater or residential heat pump HVAC system. The bill would require a permit to be issued pursuant to the automated permitting process, upon discretion of the administering jurisdiction, if the installation complies with the checklist requirements. The bill would require the local entity to publish and make publicly available, among other things, checklists on their internet website. The bill would require the local entity to allow an applicant to, among other things, submit an automated permit application and associated documentation electronically. The bill would, upon confirmation by the local entity that the application and supporting documents are complete and meet the checklist requirements, require the local entity to approve the application and issue all required permits or authorizations. The bill would, upon receipt of an incomplete application, require the local entity to issue a written correction notice, as specified. The bill would exempt from these requirements a city with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons or a county with a population of fewer than 150,000 persons, as specified. The bill would, except as provided, prohibit a city, county, or city and county from charging a permit fee for a residential heat pump water heater and heat pump HVAC system that exceeds the estimated reasonable cost of providing the service for which the fee is charged, subject to specified requirements, including that the permit fee for a residential heat pump water heater system does not exceed $50. The bill would, notwithstanding that provision, authorize a local entity described above to charge a permit fee for the installation of a residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system that exceeds the above-described fee limit, as specified, if the local entity, as part of a written finding and an adopted resolution or ordinance, provides substantial evidence of the reasonable cost to issue the permit, and would prohibit a local entity described above from applying additional charges above the advertised fee schedule. The bill would include findings and declarations related to these provisions. (2) Existing law, the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, defines and regulates common interest developments. Among other things, the act makes a provision of the governing documents, as defined, or architectural or landscaping guidelines or policies void and unenforceable if, among other things, the provision prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water-using plants as a group or as a replacement of existing turf. This bill would additionally make any provision of the governing documents, architectural guidelines, or policies void and unenforceable if the provision prevents the replacement of a fuel-gas-burning appliance with an electric appliance. The bill would also make any covenant, restriction, or condition contained in any, among other specified agreements, deed, and any provision of a governing document, that effectively prohibits or restricts the installation or use of a residential heat pump water heater or heat pump HVAC system, void and unenforceable. (3) The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. (4) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law imposes various limitations on emissions of air contaminants for the control of air pollution from vehicular and nonvehicular sources. Existing law generally designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution. Existing law requires the state board to adopt standards, rules, and regulations necessary for the proper execution of the powers and duties granted to, and imposed upon, the state board. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the state board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations, as provided, to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. Pursuant to its authority, the state board has adopted the Low Carbon Fuel Standard regulations to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California, as specified. This bill would require the state board, beginning no later than January 31, 2026, to reconsider and revise the Low Carbon Fuel Standard to reduce the program's financial burden on drivers in the state, including by taking specified actions.
