Bill Text: CA AB2700 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Transportation electrification: electrical distribution grid upgrades.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-09-16 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 354, Statutes of 2022. [AB2700 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB2700-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 27, 2022

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 07, 2022

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2700

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Introduced by Assembly Members McCarty, Berman, and Medina

February 18, 2022

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An act to add Section 25328 to the Public Resources Code, and to add Sections 740.21 and 9625 to the Public Utilities Code, relating to transportation electrification.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2700, as amended, McCarty. Transportation electrification: electrical distribution grid upgrades.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, while local publicly owned electric utilities, as defined, are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law, enacted as part of the Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015, requires the PUC, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) and the State Air Resources Board, to direct electrical corporations to file applications for programs and investments to accelerate widespread transportation electrification to reduce dependence on petroleum, meet air quality standards, achieve the goals set forth in the Charge Ahead California Initiative, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Existing law requires the Energy Commission, working with the state board and the PUC, to prepare, at least once every 2 years, a statewide assessment of the electrical vehicle charging infrastructure needed to support the levels of electric vehicle adoption required for the state to meet certain goals.

This bill would require the State Air Resources Board to annually gather fleet data for on-road and off-road vehicles in the medium- and heavy-duty sectors from entities subject to its regulations and share that data with electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities to help inform electrical grid planning efforts, as specified. The bill would require electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities to use all available data to project future electric vehicle charging requirements to ensure that their distribution systems are upgraded at the times and locations necessary utilities, as part of their distribution planning processes, to incorporate fleet data produced by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to this bill, and other available data, to facilitate the readiness of their distribution systems to support the state’s anticipated level of electric vehicle charging. The bill would require the PUC, by July 1, 2024, to the extent that there are any permitting or licensing requirements for transmission or distribution grid upgrades necessary to support the anticipated level of electric vehicle charging, to expedite existing permitting and licensing processes to ensure that electrical corporations can meet the requirements to upgrade their distribution systems, and to direct electrical corporations to develop an expedited process for grid interconnection for transportation electrification. The bill would require the State Air Resources Board to annually gather and share fleet data from entities subject to its regulations with electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities to help inform electrical grid planning efforts, as specified. charging, as specified.

Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.

Because certain provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the PUC implementing the bill’s requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) Under existing state regulations and goals, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the State Air Resources Board anticipate 8,000,000 electric vehicles in California by 2030.

(2) Widespread electric vehicle charging that is strategically integrated can support the operation of the electric grid to the benefit of all utility customers.

(3) To meet the state’s climate and air quality goals, especially in areas where there is a concentration of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and other goods movement equipment, electrical corporations and local publicly owned utilities must be able to proactively plan and build electrical distribution grid upgrades necessary to accommodate the level of electric vehicle charging anticipated by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the State Air Resources Board.

(4) Improved strategic planning and investment by electrical corporations and local publicly owned utilities to accommodate electric vehicle charging will help achieve the state’s goals, avoid delays, minimize costs, and maximize benefits.

(b) It is the policy of the state and the intent of the Legislature to encourage transportation electrification as a means to achieve ambient air quality standards and the state’s climate goals.

SEC. 2.

 Section 25328 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

25328.

 (a) In order to achieve the state’s goal of reaching 100 percent zero-emission vehicles for new passenger vehicles sales by 2035 and for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2045, it is the intent of the Legislature to advance zero-emission infrastructure deployment.

(b) The State Air Resources Board shall annually gather and share fleet data for on-road and off-road vehicles in the medium- and heavy-duty sectors from entities subject to its regulations and share that data with electrical corporations and local publicly owned electric utilities to help inform electrical grid planning efforts, including, but not limited to, all of the following data:

(1) The vehicle fleet size and composition, including battery electric, hybrid, or fuel cell.

(2) The fleet location.

(3) The total anticipated charging capacity at each fleet location.

SEC. 3.

 Section 740.21 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

740.21.

 (a) Electrical corporations shall use all available data to project future electric vehicle charging requirements to ensure that their distribution systems are upgraded at the times and locations necessary Each electrical corporation, as part of its distribution planning process, shall incorporate the fleet data produced by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Section 25328 of the Public Resources Code, and other available data, to facilitate the readiness of their distribution systems to support the level of electric vehicle charging anticipated by Executive Orders No. B-48-18 and N-79-20, the Energy Commission’s integrated energy policy report adopted pursuant to Section 25302 of the Public Resources Code, the Energy Commission’s assessment prepared pursuant to Section 25229 of the Public Resources Code, State Air Resources Board regulations, air quality management plans, the Transportation Agency’s Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, regional seaport plans, regional transportation plans, and sustainable communities strategies.

(b) In reviewing electrical corporation proposals to meet the requirements of subdivision (a), the commission shall ensure proposed investments are consistent with preparing the electrical grid for the achievement of the state’s goals and regulations identified in subdivision (a), and shall ensure reasonable cost recovery.

(c)On or before January 1, 2024, to the extent that there are any permitting or licensing requirements for transmission or distribution grid upgrades necessary to support the level of electric vehicle charging anticipated by the state’s transportation electrification goals and regulations, the commission shall do both of the following:

(1)Expedite existing permitting and licensing processes to ensure that electrical corporations can meet the requirements of subdivision (a).

(2)Direct electrical corporations to develop an expedited process for grid interconnection for transportation electrification, as defined in Section 237.5.

SEC. 4.

 Section 9625 is added to the Public Utilities Code, to read:

9625.

 The governing board of a local publicly owned electric utility shall use all available data to project future electric vehicle charging requirements to ensure that their distribution systems are upgraded at the times and locations necessary utility, as part of its distribution planning process, shall incorporate the fleet data produced by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Section 25328 of the Public Resources Code, and other available data, to facilitate the readiness of their distribution systems to support the level of electric vehicle charging anticipated by Executive Orders No. B-48-18 and N-79-20, the Energy Commission’s integrated energy policy report adopted pursuant to Section 25302 of the Public Resources Code, the Energy Commission’s assessment prepared pursuant to Section 25229 of the Public Resources Code, State Air Resources Board regulations, air quality management plans, the Transportation Agency’s Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, regional seaport plans, regional transportation plans, and sustainable communities strategies.

SEC. 5.

 No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.