BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                             


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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1149|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                         |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524          |                         |
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|327-4478                          |                         |
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                       THIRD READING
                              

Bill No:  AB 1149
Author:   Aroner (D)
Amended:  8/17/99 in Senate
Vote:     21

  
  SENATE ENERGY, U.&C. COMMITTEE  :  8-1, 7/13/99
AYES:  Bowen, Alarcon, Baca, Kelley, Peace, Solis, Speier,  
  Vasconcellos
NOES:  Brulte
NOT VOTING:  Hughes, Mountjoy

  SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  Senate Rule 28.8

  ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  59-17, 5/25/99 - See last page for vote
 

  SUBJECT  :    Underground electric and communications  
facilities

  SOURCE  :     City of Oakland

 
  DIGEST  :    This bill requires the California Public  
Utilities Commission to conduct a study and submit a report  
to the Legislature, by January 1, 2001, on existing  
regulations relating to underground electric and  
communications:

  ANALYSIS  :    Current regulation allows ratepayer funds to  
be used to pay for the undergrounding of overhead electric  
utility infrastructure, such as electrical lines and  
transformers.

                                                 CONTINUED





                                                     AB 1149
                                                       Page  
2

This bill requires the California Public Utilities  
Commission (CPUC) to review its regulations which govern  
this undergrounding process and issue a report to the  
Legislature by January 1, 2001.  The CPUC would have the  
authority to revise these rules without prior approval by  
the Legislature.

  Comments  .

For many years the CPUC has encouraged moving overhead  
electric facilities underground as a way to improve public  
safety, improve the aesthetics of a community, and lower  
maintenance costs.  The CPUC allocates approximately $60  
million annually each from Pacific Gas & Electric and  
Southern California Edison, and $15 million from San Diego  
Gas & Electric which may be included in the utility  
ratebase to pay for the undergrounding.  However, because  
undergrounding is very costly, very few undergrounding  
projects have actually moved forward.

The author introduced this bill in response to a concern  
that undergrounding projects proposed by the City of  
Oakland weren't approved by the local utility.   
Furthermore, the author believes that recent undergrounding  
projects have led to a patchwork of underground and  
overhead lines.  This bill requires the CPUC to study the  
current undergrounding rules and determine how those rules  
can be improved to eliminate the patchwork of overhead and  
underground facilities, improve reliability, improve public  
safety, and enhance local control.

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

  SUPPORT  :   (Verified  8/24/99)

City of Oakland (source)
California Public Utilities Commission


  ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  59-17, 5/25/99
AYES:  Aanestad, Alquist, Aroner, Bates, Battin, Bock,  
  Calderon, Cardenas, Cardoza, Cedillo, Corbett, Correa,  
  Cunneen, Davis, Dickerson, Ducheny, Dutra, Firebaugh,  







                                                     AB 1149
                                                       Page  
3

  Florez, Floyd, Frusetta, Gallegos, Granlund, Havice,  
  Hertzberg, Honda, Jackson, Keeley, Knox, Kuehl, Leach,  
  Lempert, Longville, Lowenthal, Machado, Maldonado,  
  Margett, Mazzoni, Migden, Nakano, Robert Pacheco,  
  Pescetti, Reyes, Romero, Runner, Scott, Shelley,  
  Steinberg, Thomson, Torlakson, Vincent, Washington,  
  Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wildman, Wright, Zettel,  
  Villaraigosa
NOES:  Ackerman, Ashburn, Baldwin, Baugh, Brewer, Briggs,  
  Cox, House, Kaloogian, Leonard, Maddox, McClintock,  
  Olberg, Oller, Rod Pacheco, Strickland, Thompson
NOT VOTING:  Campbell, Papan, Soto, Strom-Martin


NC:cm  8/24/99   Senate Floor Analyses 

               SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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