BILL ANALYSIS
e.
AB 67
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 67 (Levine)
As Amended September 1, 2005
Majority vote
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|ASSEMBLY: |73-1 |(May 27, 2005) |SENATE: |29-3 |September 8, 2005 |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|COMMITTEE VOTE: |10-0 |(September 8, 2005) |RECOMMENDATION: |Concur |
| | | | | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Committee Reference: U. & C.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
to annually report on the elements embedded in electricity and gas
rates. Extends an existing program that provides partial net
metering to customer-owned fuel cell electric generation
facilities, which sunsets January 1, 2006 to 2010.
The Senate amendments :
1)Delete the requirement that PUC provide a 10-year forecast of
different aspects and elements of electricity rates, and confine
the report to the utilities with the greatest number of
ratepayers.
2)Extends an existing program that provides partial net metering to
customer-owned fuel cell electric generation facilities, which
sunsets January 1, 2006 to 2010.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill required PUC to report to the
Legislature a 10-year forecast for the different aspects and
elements of electricity rates for each class of ratepayers.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill provides transparency in the elements of the
electricity rates of the investor-owned utilities (IOUs) and will
help the Legislature track when the elements of rates that resulted
from deregulation, such as the costs associated with the state
e.
AB 67
Page 2
purchases of electricity for IOUs and the Pacific Gas and Electric
(PG&E) bankruptcy, will sunset or retire. This bill is intended to
provide the Legislature with a clear understanding of the impacts
proposals for new or augmented programs will have on electricity
rates.
The bill also extends a provision creating a net metering program
for net metering for customer owned fuel cell power generators.
Net metering allows the IOU customers to sell the excess power from
the fuel cell generators back to the IOU. The existing fuel cell
net metering program will sunset at the end of this year. If the
program is not extended, net metering won't be available to both
existing and planned fuel cell projects after the end of the year.
This bill was substantially amended in the Senate. Provisions
added in the Senate were not considered by a policy committee in
the Assembly.
Analysis Prepared by : Gina Mandy / U. & C. / (916) 319-2083FN:
0013316