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Legislation advancing the interest of alternative energy—from geothermal to biogas—easily passed out of the Senate Energy Utilities & Commerce Committee June 30. AB 197 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) promotes geothermal resources by requiring that utility renewable solicitations no longer allow the overshadowing of “best fit” attributes of a resource, including its reliability impact, by “least cost” criteria. Passed on a 7-1 vote, it seeks to achieve a “balanced renewable energy portfolio,” meaning a mix of intermittent—solar and wind—as well as baseload power like geothermal. “This is a modest but important step to ensure progress in integrating our multiple goals”—higher levels of renewable resources and lower levels of greenhouse gases, said V. John White, Center for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Technologies executive director. AB 197 heads next to the Senate Appropriations Committee. AB 577 by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) seeks to increase the use of renewable biogas by creating a grant program at the California Energy Commission for purification and injection of the gas into natural gas pipelines. Purification costs have been prohibitive, representing about 40 percent of the cost of delivered gas, Bonilla told the committee. Use of this gas to supplement fuel in natural gas pipelines is expected to curb greenhouse gases. After passing on a 7-0 vote, it was sent to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. AB 590 , passed 10-0, focuses on keeping existing biomass plants in business by directing some funds from the carbon cap-and-trade auction program to them. Reducing forest, agriculture and landfill waste by sending it to biomass generating facilities helps reduce catastrophic wildfires and carbon emissions, said Assemblymember Brian Dahle (R-Redding), the bill author. There are 25 biomass plants in operation and they are said to reduce air pollution and toxics by 96 percent, largely by avoiding open field burns and diverting waste away from landfills. However, these biomass plants face cost hurdles. Environmental justice advocates opposed the measure on grounds that emissions from biomass plants, located largely in low-income communities of color, exacerbate carbon and toxic air pollution when evaluating them on a life-cycle basis. To address their concerns, committee chair Sen. Ben Hueso (D-Chula Vista) insisted the bill be amended to limit auction funding eligibility to biomass facilities that are shown to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “It is a question of fairness, achieving our goals and doing our jobs,” according to Hueso. It is to be heard next in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. AB 678 by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D- Long Beach), passed 8-0, provides funding for energy efficiency upgrades and emission reductions at ports. O’Donnell said the funds will allow local ports to “remain competitive and green.” Black carbon, formaldehyde, nickel, benzene, arsenic, and dozens of other chemicals continue to cause increased cancer risk around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach primarily because of heavy diesel emissions associated with port operations, and cargo ships’ use of low-grade crude fuel, according to a late 2014 South Coast Air Quality Management District report. Ports are said to use 50 MW of power a day. With increased electrification, demand is expected to rise to 250 MW at Long Beach alone by 2030. AB 793 by Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) promotes consumer energy management software and tools to enable residential and small and medium business customers to understand and manage their energy use in real time. Quirk wants energy management tools to tap into the energy tracking on smart meters so customers can reap their investment in them. The legislation also requires that investor-owned utility and community choice aggregator energy efficiency program administrators develop education, outreach and incentive plans to bolster the use of the management software by 2016. Quirk’s bill further includes installation of energy management systems in the weatherization toolbox. The bill was opposed by Pacific Gas & Electric, with San Diego Gas & Electric raising concerns but not openly opposing the measure. Other legislation approved by the committee included: AB 895 by Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) to require that energy crisis settlements be dispersed by energy regulators after the Legislature approves their appropriation. AB 1150 by Assemblymember Marc Levine (D- San Rafael) to expand the University of California and state university system energy efficiency resources to reach carbon neutrality by 2025. Specifically, the measure allows them to receive efficiency support not just from the private utilities, but also municipal agencies. AB 1159 also standardizes the savings metrics, which vary by utility and program. — Elizabeth McCarthy

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