Public Utilities & Energy Infrastructure

Requires California to integrate zero-carbon energy resources into the electrical grid by 2045. Mandates the Energy Commission to identify funding programs for zero-carbon resources by July 2026. Requires utilities to include zero-carbon resources in their reliability planning by July 2027. Directs the Public Utilities Commission to report on local reliability needs by December 2026.

Requires more frequent reviews of state electricity transmission planning from every 5 years to every 3 years. Mandates coordination between utility regulators and grid operators to update transmission planning guidelines. Aims to improve California's renewable energy infrastructure development and reliability.

Requires state agencies to evaluate electricity programs that may be unnecessarily increasing consumer rates. Mandates detailed reports to the Legislature by July 1, 2025 on program costs and benefits. Authorizes agencies to recommend eliminating ineffective programs and returning unused funds to ratepayers. Takes effect immediately to address California's electricity rates that are double the national average.

Establishes new safety standards for hydrogen pipelines to protect residents and the environment. Requires pipeline owners to install continuous monitoring systems that detect leaks and anomalies. Mandates annual compliance reports from pipeline owners to the Public Utilities Commission by December 31. Sets a January 1, 2028 deadline for the Public Utilities Commission to implement pipeline safety standards.

Establishes a new state office to coordinate California's clean energy manufacturing and supply chain development. Creates working groups to accelerate growth in battery, offshore wind, and building electrification industries. Requires state agencies to develop strategies for creating high-quality clean energy manufacturing jobs. Establishes a new fund to support clean energy supply chain and industrial development programs.

Establishes a new monitoring system for pipelines that deliver crude oil to California refineries. Requires pipeline operators to report flow levels monthly starting March 2027. Mandates operators to notify state officials within 24 hours if pipeline flows drop to critical levels. Restricts the use of collected pipeline data solely for assessing potential supply disruptions.

Expands California's Lifeline program to provide low-income households with affordable standalone internet service. Requires internet providers to offer plans with 100 Mbps download speeds for $30 or less per month. Prohibits providers from requiring customers to bundle internet with phone service to receive Lifeline discounts. Mandates the Public Utilities Commission to implement these changes by July 2026.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing the Public Utilities Commission's quorum requirements.

Authorizes the Energy Commission to establish rating standards for solar, energy storage, and EV charging equipment. Sets a state goal to install 3,000 megawatts of solar energy capacity across California. Requires solar systems to be installed on 50 percent of new homes within 13 years. Mandates 30-day public notice before adopting new equipment guidelines.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing the Independent System Operator's grid management duties.

Requires schools to implement new literacy teaching programs for grades TK-5 by September 2026 with state funding support. Mandates adoption of new English language arts materials for grades K-8 by June 2027 aligned with literacy standards. Updates administrator credential requirements to include literacy instruction support by September 2027. Provides professional development funding for teachers through 2029 with required reporting on program effectiveness.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to seek input from affected parties before determining proceeding scope. Mandates documentation of stakeholder outreach efforts in initial scoping memos. Removes outdated requirements for utility regulatory outreach studies that expired in 2020.

Expands electric vehicle charging station monitoring requirements to include stations funded by legal settlements. Requires development of new uptime standards for charging stations installed between 2018 and 2024 by January 2027. Establishes penalties up to $2,500 per violation for charging stations that fail to meet availability standards. Mandates biennial assessments of charging station reliability across different income communities starting 2025.

Requires public utilities to automatically enroll customers in service outage alert systems. Allows customers to opt out of non-emergency alerts while maintaining mandatory safety notifications. Mandates utilities to provide contact preference updates through email or phone. Requires utilities to include instructions for updating contact methods on customer bills.

Requires utilities and grid operators to evaluate and utilize surplus grid interconnection capacity for renewable energy projects. Mandates the integration of surplus interconnection planning into long-term transmission strategies and resource plans. Establishes new transparency requirements around surplus interconnection opportunities in the electrical grid. Enables renewable energy projects to use existing grid connections near fossil fuel plants for more efficient infrastructure use.

Requires utility companies to connect affordable housing projects to the electrical grid within 60 days of completion. Delays utility rate increases if companies fail to meet connection deadlines for affordable housing. Mandates streamlined review by the Public Utilities Commission for delayed housing connections. Expires on January 1, 2029 unless renewed by the legislature.

Expands net energy metering to include electricity generated from train regenerative braking systems. Requires utilities to provide billing credits for electricity exported from electric train braking. Mandates utilities to install and maintain specialized metering systems at their own cost. Designates the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board as an eligible customer-generator.

Establishes six electrical modernization zones to prioritize infrastructure upgrades in underserved areas. Authorizes utilities to manage microgrids and collect fixed charges from customers in these zones. Requires state agencies to prioritize load growth projects in designated modernization zones. Mandates two zones be located in the High Desert area and Altadena, Los Angeles County.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to report annually instead of every two years on energy efficiency programs. Mandates reporting on ratepayer-funded utility programs that overlap with other state agency initiatives. Reports must identify similar programs across multiple state energy and transportation agencies.

Prohibits sharing Lifeline phone program applicant information with government agencies without a court order. Makes Social Security numbers optional for applying to the Lifeline phone assistance program. Allows use of anonymous aggregated data for program analysis and reporting purposes. Establishes criminal penalties for unauthorized disclosure of applicant information.

Requires the state energy commission to design a new system for customers to generate electricity at their properties. Mandates increased transparency in how departing load charges are calculated and applied to customers. Establishes a stakeholder input process including utilities and consumer advocacy groups through 2031. Requires submission of recommendations to the Legislature by December 2027.

Abolishes California's Power Exchange to restructure the state electricity market for increased competition. Establishes a five-member Electricity Oversight Board to supervise the Independent System Operator. Mandates a 20% rate reduction for residential and small commercial customers by April 2002. Requires utilities to recover transition costs through nonbypassable charges without increasing customer rates.

Requires the Public Utilities Commission to evaluate and improve utility bill transparency by June 2026. Mandates clear itemization of all charges on gas and electric bills including taxes and program fees. Authorizes the use of digital communication channels like email and mobile apps for utility billing.

Requires development of fire safety measures for utility-grade lithium-ion battery storage facilities. Establishes safety protocols to protect emergency personnel responding to battery facility fires. Mandates battery facility operators to share incident information with emergency managers.

Establishes new state programs to help industrial facilities reduce emissions and improve energy storage. Requires funded projects to create high-road jobs and include community benefit agreements. Prioritizes projects in under-resourced communities that reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. Expands the state infrastructure bank's ability to finance industrial heat pump and thermal storage projects.