BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       


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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 653
          Author:   Nunez (D), et al
          Amended:  1/7/04 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE ENERGY, U.&C. COMMITTEE  :  7-1, 6/24/03
          AYES:  Bowen, Alarcon, Battin, Dunn, Murray, Sher,  
            Vasconcellos
          NOES:  McClintock
          ABSENT/NO VOTE RECORDED:  Morrow

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  7-3, 8/17/04
          AYES:  Alpert, Bowen, Burton, Karnette, Machado, Murray,  
            Speier
          NOES:  Battin, Aanestad, Ashburn
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Escutia, Johnson, Poochigian

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 5/29/03 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Energy efficiency:  public buildings

           SOURCE  :     Planning and Conservation League


           DIGEST  :    This bill deletes the sunset date and revises  
          eligibility requirements for bond funding through the  
          Energy Conservation in Public Buildings program.

           ANALYSIS  :    Current law authorizes the State Public Works  
          Board (SPWB), until January 1, 2005, to issue revenue  
          bonds, notes, and bond anticipation notes to finance  
          cogeneration equipment, alternative energy equipment, and  
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          conservation measures in public buildings.

          This bill deletes the sunset date of the SPWB's bonding  
          authority, thus making this authority permanent.

          Current law doesn't specify whether the bonds can be used  
          for projects that combine conservation measures with  
          alternative energy equipment purchases.

          This bill permits the bonds to be used for projects that  
          combine conservation measures with alternative energy  
          equipment purchases.

          Current law requires energy efficiency and conservation  
          projects to save enough money in operational costs to cover  
          the expense of financing the project.  Generally, the State  
          Department of General Services requires projects to pay for  
          themselves within ten years.  

          This bill requires the SPWB, in determining whether to  
          finance a project, to evaluate the project in its entirety  
          and analyze the costs and financial and energy cost savings  
          over the full life of the project (rather than the  
          administrative requirement that a project pay for itself  
          within 10 years).  It also allows the board to consider the  
          value added by a product warranty. These changes could  
          result in additional types of projects, such as  
          photovoltaics being financed, and longer repayment periods.

           Background
           
          In 1982, the Legislature passed SB 701 (Dills), Chapter  
          1523, Statutes of 1982, to create the state's "Energy  
          Conservation in Public Buildings" program.  It gave SPWB  
          the authority to issue bonds in $50 million increments  
          beginning with the 1982-83 fiscal year to finance energy  
          and water conservation projects in state buildings that  
          would eventually save the state money, and allowed whatever  
          money wasn't spent to be rolled over to subsequent years.   
          AB 1551 (Pescetti), Chapter 981, Statutes of 1999, extended  
          the program from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2005, and  
          capped the bonding authority at $500 million.  According to  
          SPWB, there's an estimated $215 million worth of bonding  
          authority available.







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           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

                          Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
           
          Major Provisions     2004-05      2005-06     2006-07     Fund  

          Bond authority     Unknown, potentially $6,300 inBond
                             2004-05, and $12,600 annually in
                             subsequent years

          DGS administration            Up to $2,000 annually, should  
          be                 Special*
                             offset by long-term energy cost
                             savings

          *Service Revolving Fund

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/18/04)

          Planning and Conservation League (source)
          City of San Diego
          Clean Power Campaign
          Sierra Club California
          Vote Solar Initiative


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :
          AYES:  Aghazarian, Bates, Benoit, Berg, Bermudez, Bogh,  
            Canciamilla, Chan, Chavez, Chu, Cogdill, Cohn, Corbett,  
            Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz, Dutra, Dutton, Dymally,  
            Firebaugh, Frommer, Garcia, Goldberg, Hancock, Harman,  
            Haynes, Jerome Horton, Shirley Horton, Houston, Jackson,  
            Keene, Kehoe, Koretz, La Malfa, La Suer, Laird, Leno,  
            Leslie, Levine, Lieber, Liu, Longville, Lowenthal,  
            Maddox, Maldonado, Matthews, Maze, McCarthy, Montanez,  
            Mountjoy, Mullin, Nakanishi, Nakano, Nation, Negrete  
            McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Pacheco, Parra, Pavley, Plescia,  
            Reyes, Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Runner, Salinas,  
            Samuelian, Simitian, Spitzer, Steinberg, Strickland,  
            Vargas, Wiggins, Wolk, Wyland, Yee, Wesson









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          NC:sl  8/18/04   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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