BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 1388
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 9, 2000

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                              Carole Migden, Chairwoman

                    SB 1388 (Peace) - As Amended:  June 20, 2000 

          Policy Committee:                             Natural  
          ResourcesVote:10-0
                       Utilities & Commerce                   10-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill makes changes to the electrical power plant siting  
          process and to the continuing process for implementation of  
          electrical restructuring in California, as follows:

          1)Specifies that local agencies have 180 days to provide their  
            recommendations to the California Energy Commission (CEC)  
            regarding power plant sitings.

          2)Eliminates the requirement that the CEC perform a geothermal  
            sufficiency study each time it considers a proposal to site  
            geothermal electricity generation facilities.

          3)Requires the PUC, together with the Electricity Oversight  
            Board (OEB), to facilitate approval of reasonable electricity  
            transmission facility planning and engineering procedures.

          4)Requires the CEC to conduct small pilot projects to gauge  
            residential and small commercial consumers' responsiveness to  
            information provided on energy usage and prices.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible costs and savings to the CEC and the PUC to implement  
          the changes made by this bill.  (Various Special Accounts.)

           COMMENTS  

           Rationale  .  The author has introduced this bill to implement  
          recommendations made by the CEC to improve the power plant  








                                                                  SB 1388
                                                                  Page  2

          siting process, to better address the recovery of transmission  
          planning costs, and to establish pilot projects with a small  
          percentage of residential and small business customers who are  
          no longer subject to the rate freeze provisions of the initial  
          electricity deregulation legislation.  

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Steve Archibald / APPR. / (916)319-2081