BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1143
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Date of Hearing: July 2, 2001
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Howard Wayne, Chair
SB 1143 (Bowen) - As Amended: June 4, 2001
SENATE VOTE : 40-0
SUBJECT : Energy.
SUMMARY : This bill requires the California State Energy
Resources and Conservation Commission (CEC) to submit to the
Legislature, on or before January 1, 2002 and each year
thereafter, an assessment of the state's need for additional
energy resources and to prepare a plan to increase renewable
generation to 15% of the state's total generation by 2006 and
20% by 2010.
EXISTING LAW : Under the Warren-Alquist Act (Public Resources
Code 25000, et seq.):
1)Requires the CEC to certify sites and related facilities that
provide a supply of electric power in California.
2)Grants to the CEC exclusive jurisdiction over siting of
powerplants in California.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, there will be $1 million one-time costs for data
procurement, consulting, and computer modeling, and on going
staff costs of about $400,000 to prepare the annual assessment.
COMMENTS :
1)Background
The Warren-Alquist Act (Act) established integrated planning and
siting processes intended to guard against under or overbuilding
of powerplants. The Act formerly required the CEC to develop
long-term forecasts of state energy needs, which served as the
basis for planning and certification of individual power plants.
These forecasts were known as the Integrated Assessment of Need
(IAN).
The Act also formerly required the CEC to biennially determine
SB 1143
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the IAN for new power plants in California. In that assessment,
the CEC would determine the effects of various public policy
goals that resulted from the building or purchase of new power
resources. In addition, the Act required that any certification
of a powerplant by the CEC had to be in conformance with the
CEC's IAN.
SB 110 (Peace), Chapter 581, Statutes of 1999, eliminated the
requirement that proposed power plants comply with the CEC's
IAN, and repealed the IAN itself. Among other things, the IAN
was repealed because of the conformance requirement that any new
powerplant had to be in conformance with the CEC's IAN.
This bill will replace the IAN as it relates to electrical
generation resources, but it would not make CEC siting decisions
contingent on conformance with the IAN as it existed prior to SB
110.
2)Natural gas reliance
For many years, every major power plant proposed in California
has been fueled by natural gas. Some attribute the severity of
the current energy crisis to an over-reliance on natural gas.
If the trend in private development of power plants continues as
expected, the state's reliance on natural gas will increase.
The CEC is currently working on increasing the amount of
renewable energy on-line throughout the state and has a set goal
of 17 percent by 2006. This bill would mandate 15 percent by
2006 and 20 percent by 2010.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Clean Power Campaign
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Kyra Emanuels Ross / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092