Supported by The Climate Center

SB 410 (Becker) Powering Up Californians Act

California Public Utilities Commission Headquarters in San Francisco, California.

Existing law vests the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and requires the CPUC to enforce rules governing the extension of service by electrical corporations.

This bill would require the CPUC to establish, on or before September 30, 2024, reasonable average and maximum target energization time periods, as defined, and certain reporting requirements so that electrical corporation performance can be tracked and improved, as provided. The bill would require the CPUC to require the electrical corporation to take any remedial actions necessary to achieve the CPUC’s targets and would require all reports to be publicly available, among other reporting requirements.

The bill would require, as part of each report and in each general rate case application, each electrical corporation to include a detailed analysis of its current qualified staffing level and future required qualified staffing level for each job classification, as specified, among other requirements related to staffing and apprentice training. The bill would would, among other requirements placed on electrical corporations, require an electrical corporation to consider, in its annual distribution planning process, certain standards, plans, regulations, policies, and requirements. The bill would require the commission to ensure that electrical corporations have sufficient and timely recovery of costs, as specified. If requested by the electrical corporation, the bill would require the commission to authorize the use of a one-way balancing account mechanism or other mechanism that, among other things, authorizes electrical corporations to track costs for energization projects that exceed those included in the electrical corporation’s annual authorized revenue requirement for energization.

Full bill text and related information.

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