The California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewables portfolio standard requiring all retail sellers, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as defined, at specified percentages of the total kilowatthours sold to their retail end-use customers during specified compliance periods. The program additionally requires each local publicly owned electric utility, as defined, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources to achieve the targets established by the program. The program, consistent with the goals of procuring the least-cost and best-fit eligible renewable energy resources that meet project viability principles, requires that all retail sellers procure a balanced portfolio of electricity products from eligible renewable energy resources, as specified, referred to as the portfolio content requirements. The program requires the commission to authorize the use of renewable energy credits to satisfy the renewables portfolio standard procurement requirements, subject to specified conditions and limitations for unbundled renewable energy credits. One condition placed on renewable energy credits is that they not be created for electricity generated under any electricity purchase contract executed after January 1, 2005, pursuant to the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, also known as PURPA. This bill would require that renewable energy credits be created for electricity generated under an electricity purchase contract executed after January 1, 2017, pursuant to PURPA, with those credits being owned by the owner of the eligible renewable energy resource unless otherwise agreed to by the owner. The bill would prohibit the commission from requiring, as a condition of entering into an electricity purchase contract pursuant to PURPA, that the generator sell its renewable energy credits to the electrical corporation pursuant to the contract. The bill would provide that when electricity products and the renewable energy credits associated with those electricity products are sold to the same electrical corporation pursuant to 2 or more separate purchase contracts with identical start and end dates, the credits and electricity products would be treated as bundled. 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 because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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.
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Existing law authorizes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) to implement a program in urban forestry to encourage better tree management and planting in urban areas to increase integrated, multibenefit projects by assisting urban areas with innovative solutions to problems, including greenhouse gas emissions, public health impacts of poor air and water quality, urban heat island effect, stormwater management, water shortages, lack of green space, lack of urban parks that are accessible to pedestrians, vandalism, and insufficient tree maintenance. This bill would enact the Community Climate and Drought Resilience Program of 2016 and would require CalFire to review the urban forestry program and, if necessary, revise the program to provide funding priority to multibenefit carbon sequestration projects and to establish local or regional targets for urban tree canopy. Existing law requires the California Environmental Protection Agency, in coordination with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Air Resources Board, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, to develop and implement policies to aid in diverting organic waste from landfills by promoting the composting of specified organic waste and by promoting the appropriate use of that compost throughout the state. Existing law requires the agency and the Department of Food and Agriculture, with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the State Air Resources Board, to perform specified functions, including developing recommendations for promoting organic waste processing and recycling infrastructure statewide. This bill would require the agency and the Department of Food and Agriculture, with the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, the State Water Resources Control Board, and the State Air Resources Board, to additionally assess state programs to determine how those programs may increase the use of compost for specified purposes and develop recommendations for promoting the use of compost throughout the state. The bill would require that those recommendations be posted on the agency's Internet Web site no later than January 1, 2018, and be updated annually thereafter. The bill would require an implementing agency, required to be identified with those recommendations, to develop a program to implement policies for promoting the use of compost throughout the state, if recommended, and, for purposes of that program, to prioritize projects that utilize the services of community conservation corps or other local nonprofit entities that employ underprivileged youth.
Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known in California as CalFresh, under which counties distribute food assistance benefits to eligible individuals. Existing federal law limits an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) participant to 3 months of CalFresh benefits in a 3-year period unless that participant has met specified work participation requirements. Existing law directs the State Department of Social Services to annually seek a federal waiver of this limitation, and provides that an eligible county is included in this waiver unless the county declines to participate in the waiver request. Existing law authorizes the department to implement this provision by all-county letters or similar instructions. This bill would require all eligible counties to be included in the federal waiver of the ABAWD time limitation and would delete the authorization for the department to implement this provision by all-county letters or similar instructions. By expanding eligibility for CalFresh benefits, this bill would create 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, 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 these statutory provisions.
Under the Public Utilities Act, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory jurisdiction over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations. A violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and its implementing regulations provide for a greenhouse gas emissions limit to be achieved through a market-based compliance mechanism. That mechanism includes the requirement that certain greenhouse gas producers acquire "allowances" for their emissions. Those regulations specifically provide for the direct allocation of greenhouse gas allowances to gas corporations. A decision of the commission requires the gas corporations to return to certain customers the proceeds generated from the sale of those greenhouse gas allowances as a bill credit in an equal, non-volumetric manner, and to conduct outreach and education activities to customers receiving the bill credit. The Public Utilities Act authorizes the commission to allocate 15% of the revenues received by an electrical corporation as a result of the auction of greenhouse gas allowances for clean energy and energy efficiency projects established pursuant to statute that are administered by electrical corporations or a qualified 3rd-party administrator approved by the commission and requires the commission to direct the balance of the revenues to be credited directly to the residential, small business, and emissions-intensive trade-exposed retail customers of the electrical corporations, as specified. This bill would authorize the commission to require up to 25% of revenues received by a gas corporation as a result of the auction of greenhouse gas allowances to be used for clean energy and energy efficiency projects or programs approved by the commission, as specified. The bill would require the commission to require each gas corporation to annually report and post on its Internet Web site all expenditures of these revenues and the quantified reductions in greenhouse gases from projects or programs funded under these provisions. Because the provisions of this bill require or authorize action by the commission to implement its requirements, and a violation of these commission-ordered requirements would be a crime, this 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, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. A willful violation of the act is a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and the Insurance Commissioner to adopt regulations to ensure that enrollees and insureds have access to needed health care services in a timely manner. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care to develop indicators of timeliness of access to care, including waiting times for appointments with physicians, including primary care and speciality physicians. Existing law requires health care service plans to report annually to the Department of Managed Health Care on compliance with the standards developed pursuant to these provisions. Existing law requires the Insurance Commissioner to adopt regulations that ensure, among other things, the adequacy of the number of professional providers in relationship to the projected demands for services covered under the group policy. This bill would require access to HIV specialists to be subject to the regulations, standards, and reporting requirements developed pursuant to the above specified provisions. The bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, to include an HIV specialist, as defined, as an eligible primary care provider, as defined, if the provider requests primary care provider status and meets the plan's or health insurer's eligibility criteria for all specialists seeking primary care provider status. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan 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.
This measure would recognize Nowrūz, the Persian New Year celebration.
This measure would designate the month of April 2016 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and would recognize April 27, 2016, as Denim Day California.
(1) Under existing law, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources in the Department of Conservation regulates the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells in the state. Existing law requires the State Oil and Gas Supervisor to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities related to oil and gas production within an oil and gas field, so as to prevent damage to life, health, property, and natural resources, as provided; to permit owners and operators of wells to utilize all known methods and practices to increase the ultimate recovery of hydrocarbons; and to perform the supervisor's duties in a manner that encourages the wise development of oil and gas resources to best meet oil and gas needs in this state. Under existing law, a person who fails to comply with certain requirements relating to the regulation of oil or gas operations is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would require the supervisor to continue the prohibition against Southern California Gas Company injecting any natural gas into the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility located in the County of Los Angeles until a comprehensive review of the safety of the gas storage wells at the facility is completed, as specified, the supervisor determines that well integrity has been ensured by the review, the risks of failures identified in the review have been addressed, the supervisor's duty to prevent damage to life, health, property, and natural resources, and other requirements is satisfied, and the Executive Director of the Public Utilities Commission has concurred via letter with the supervisor regarding his or her determination of safety. The bill would require the supervisor to determine criteria for the gas storage well comprehensive safety review with input from independent experts and would require the criteria to include, but not be limited to, specified tests and inspections. The bill would require the supervisor to direct the contracted independent experts to provide a methodology to be used in assessing the tests and inspections specified in the criteria. The bill would require the division to post the methodology on a public portion of its Internet Web site. The bill would require the operator of the facility to provide the division with the proposed maximum reservoir pressure and to include data and calculations supporting the basis for the pressure limit. The bill would authorize the supervisor to allow injections of natural gas into the facility once the gas storage well comprehensive safety review is complete, the division holds a duly noticed public hearing in the affected community to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the safety review findings and the proposed pressure limit, and the supervisor has approved the maximum and minimum reservoir pressure at the facility. The bill would also require that, before the completion of the gas storage well comprehensive safety review, the production of natural gas from gas storage wells at the facility be limited to gas storage wells that have satisfactorily completed the testing and remediation required under the review, except as specified. The bill would require the supervisor to direct the operator of the facility to provide a plan to ensure, at the earliest possible time, the availability of sufficient gas production capacity using gas storage wells that have satisfactorily completed the testing and remediation required under the review. The bill would require all gas storage wells returning to service under these provisions to inject or produce gas only through the interior metal tubing, and would require the operator to conduct ongoing pressure monitoring and comply with any other requirements specified by the supervisor. The bill would require the gas storage wells at the facility that are plugged and abandoned pursuant to these provisions to be periodically inspected by the operator for leaks using effective gas leak detection techniques. The bill would require the division, with respect to the review and in a timely manner, to post all testing, inspection and monitoring results, and other safety review-related materials to a public portion of the division's Internet Web site. Because a violation of certain of these requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2021. (2) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission is authorized to supervise and regulate every public utility in the state. 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. This bill would require the commission, no later than July 1, 2017, to open a proceeding to determine the feasibility of minimizing or eliminating use of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility located in the County of Los Angeles while still maintaining energy and electric reliability for the region, and to consult with specified entities in making its determination. The bill would require the commission, in consultation with specified entities, to determine the range of working gas necessary to ensure safety and reliability for the region and just and reasonable rates in California, and to direct the operator of the facility to provide all information the commission deems necessary to make that determination. The bill would require the commission, within 30 days of the effective date of this act, to publish a report, including specified information regarding gas production at the facility. The bill would require the commission to make the report available on its Internet Web site, and to seek public comments on the report, as specified. The bill would require the executive director of the commission, in consultation with the supervisor, to direct the operator of the facility to maintain the specified range of working gas after certain conditions have occurred. Certain provisions of this bill would be part of the act and an order or other action of the commission would be required to implement certain of the provisions. Because a violation of the bill's provisions or of an order or decision of the commission would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating new crimes. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2021. (3) 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. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would proclaim February 29, 2016, as Rare Disease Day in California and would provide for the recognition of Rare Disease Day in California in subsequent years, as specified.
This measure would recognize the week of April 11 to April 17, 2016, inclusive, as Cambodian Genocide Memorial Week.