Bill Text: CA SB605 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Wave and tidal energy.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-10-07 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 405, Statutes of 2023. [SB605 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB605-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
September 05, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
June 30, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Senate
April 27, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Senate
March 20, 2023 |
Introduced by Senator Padilla (Coauthors: Senators Archuleta and Stern) |
February 15, 2023 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)If developed and deployed at scale, offshore wave and tidal energy has the potential to provide economic and environmental benefits to the state and the nation.
(b)Ocean energy may represent the third largest source of renewable energy and is potentially the largest source of underutilized renewable energy. Ocean energy primarily comes in two forms: (1) wave energy, harnessed by waves; and (2) tidal energy, harnessed by tides.
(c)California may need to
build at least 145 gigawatts of new renewable energy and energy storage development, according to the 2021 SB 100 Joint Agency Report released in March 2021, by 2045 to achieve the goals set forth in Section 454.53 of the Public Utilities Code.
(d)California has set ambitious clean energy targets on the path to carbon neutrality by 2045, but the need for more clean energy is immediate. Wave and tidal energy, or hydrokinetic energy, has the potential to provide
energy in California as the technology scales up.
(e)Wave and tidal energy development presents an opportunity to attract investment capital and to realize community economic development and workforce development benefits in California, including the development and preservation of a skilled and trained workforce to carry out projects, long-term job creation, and deployment of an offshore wave and tidal energy supply chain.
(f)Wave and tidal energy may contribute to a diverse, secure, reliable, and affordable renewable energy resource portfolio to serve the electricity needs of California ratepayers and improve air quality, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
(g)Wave and tidal energy can add resource and technology diversity to the state’s clean, renewable energy portfolio. Diversity in energy resources and technologies in some instances lowers overall costs.
(h)In its 2021 report on marine energy opportunities for the United States Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory concluded that “even if only a small portion of the technical resource potential is captured, marine energy technologies would make significant contributions to our nation’s energy
needs.”
(i)Furthermore, the report found that wave power has the technical feasible resource potential to meet 30 percent of the country’s electricity demand.
(j)The Biden Administration is counting on wave and tidal energy to help the United States reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and has allocated tens of millions of dollars to advance the technology.
(k)By promoting and facilitating growth in the emerging wave and tidal energy sectors, California can position itself as a nationwide leader in ocean energy, while facilitating the development of high-quality jobs and technological advancements in this burgeoning industry.
(l)Investment in onshore and offshore wave and tidal energy development can offer career pathways and workforce training in clean energy development by providing sustainable blue economy employment opportunities, supporting apprenticeship opportunities for a diverse labor pool, and providing those opportunities to local communities experiencing high unemployment through prioritization of local hiring first.
(m)Onshore and offshore wave and tidal energy
should be developed in a manner that protects coastal and marine ecosystems. The state should use its authority under state programs and policies to ensure avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of significant adverse impacts and monitoring and adaptive management for offshore wave and tidal energy projects and their associated infrastructure.
(n)Onshore and offshore wave and tidal energy development can provide clean air benefits to inland communities that experience increased impacts from poor air quality.
SEC. 2.SECTION 1.
Chapter 18 (commencing with Section 25996) is added to Division 15 of the Public Resources Code, to read:CHAPTER 18. Wave Energy and Tidal Energy
25996.
(a)25996.1.
(a) On or before January 1, 2025, the commission(3)Data and findings from the wave energy and tidal energy pilot projects described in Section 25996.2, to the extent the pilot projects have been approved.
(a)The commission shall consider in the investment planning process for the Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, wave energy and tidal energy pilot projects in the state
that assess the technological feasibility and provide research and demonstration of the technology along California’s shores, and maximize ratepayer and public benefits.
(b)In determining the appropriate amount of EPIC funding for wave and tidal energy pilot projects, the commission shall consider the findings and recommendations included in the report described in Section 25996.1.
(c)The commission shall coordinate with the California Coastal Commission, and shall seek to coordinate with the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in the United States Department of the Interior to facilitate the leasing or permitting of offshore areas under federal jurisdiction for wave energy and tidal energy projects. The commission shall also coordinate and consult with the Ocean Protection Council, the California Coastal Commission, the State Lands Commission, and other appropriate state agencies to facilitate the leasing or permitting of coastal or onshore areas under state jurisdiction for wave energy and tidal energy projects.