Legislation |
06/03 |
Proposal To Make CPUC an Elected Board
(SCA 6). (Held in committee as of 8/29/03.)
Senate's Constitutional Amendments Committee voted to change CPUC to
seven-member commission elected by district and subject to term limits of
two 4-year stints. Currently CPUC has five governor-appointed members
serving 6-year staggered terms. Appointments must be approved by the State
Senate. |
|
10/02 |
Legislation Requiring Energy Policy Report Every
2 Years (Senate Bill 1389). Requires the California Energy
Commission to present an Integrated Energy Policy Report to the Governor
and Legislation every 2 years based on its assessment of trends in energy
markets. |
|
10/99 |
Legislation
Mandating Bundled Service by Utilities (Assembly Bill 1421). Supersedes prior law that
prohibited PUC action on restructuring before 1/1/2000. Mandates that LDCs
provide bundled service and be the only providers of billing and metering
services. However, it exempts existing core aggregation programs and
includes a provision that consumers can choose to purchase gas from
another supplier. |
|
08/98 |
Legislation
Allowing PUC to Investigate Restructuring but Limiting
Action (Senate Bill 1602 enacted 8/28/98, creating
Section 328 of Public Utility Code). Legislation allows PUC to investigate
restructuring but prohibits any action until 1/1/2000 and disallows any
restructuring decisions made after 7/1/98 affecting core
customers. |
Regulatory Action |
09/03 |
Switching Policy Clarified for Large
Industrials. PUC reaffirmed that industrial electricity
customers cannot switch from non-core to core status unless supplier goes
out of business. |
|
05/03 |
Energy Action Plan Approved.
Joint plan with the Consumer Power and Conservation
Financing Authority (CPA) and the Energy Resources Conservation and
Development Commission (CEC). Goal is to implement a unified State energy
policy. Proposes six sets of actions, including ensuring reliable supply
of reasonably priced natural gas, optimizing energy conservation and
resource efficiency, and upgrading and expanding the electricity
transmission and distribution infrastructure. Includes increasing storage
capacity and continual monitoring of natural gas prices and trends for
signs of market manipulation. |
|
01/03 |
PG&E Applies to Extend Gas Accord Through
2004. Company filed proposal with PUC that would increase
reliability standards and refine some operational
procedures. |
|
01/03 |
2003 Work Plan. PUC prepared 2003 work
plan for legislature. Includes three primary objectives: (1) reasonable
gas rates, (2) matching capacity to needs, and (3) maximizing
participation in energy efficiency and low-income
programs. |
|
08/02 |
PG&E Gas Accord II Settlement Agreement
Approved. PUC approved extension of Gas Accord market
structure through 2003, at 2002 rates. |
|
05/02 |
PG&E Requests Approval of Settlement
Agreement. PG&E requested a 1-year extension of the Gas
Accord, which would allow the utility to extend existing contracts for
firm gas transportation and storage services. It would also fix rates for
gas transmission and storage services at existing 2002
levels. |
|
12/01 |
PUC Adopts Modifed
Comprehensive Settlement for SoCal (see 10/01 below, 99-07-003). Decision (3-2)
allows for tradable storage rights and transmission capacity on Socal and
San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s intrastate systems. These lines
transport gas to smaller distribution systems within the State. The
decision reduces the core aggregation transportation (CAT) program minimum
size to 120,000 therms to provide statewide consistency (conforms to
PG&E threshold) and removes the cap on core aggregation. Also
recommends that the legislature act on consumer protection measures for
those using CTAs and ESPs (providing both electricity and gas) in order to
eliminate obstacles to competition. Eliminates core subscription program,
so that "all noncore eligible customers must either choose a competitive
provider for gas commodity service or take service from SoCal at core
rates. Allows a billing credit when core aggregators include the utility's
billing to their customers. Schedules upcoming proceeding re gas industry
structure in post-2002 period. Requires a "market assessment report" 2
years after effective date of the tariff |
|
11/01 |
Alternate Proposed
Final Opinion re Restructuring Options (99-07-003) (Commissioner Carl Wood). Approves a
modified interim settlement (IS) rather than the comprehensive settlement
(CS) recommended by ALJ John Wong. Provisions would : (1) establish Hector
Road as a formal receipt point on SoCalGas' system at which nominations
may be made; (2) provide for the establishment of "pools" of gas on the
SoCalGas transmission system to increase the liquidity of trading of gas
supplies; (3) allow trading of imbalances to some extent. Would not
unbundle core interstate transportation from rates at this time. Would
eliminate core contribution to noncore interstate transition cost
surcharges (ITCS) and the core subscription option as well as the caps and
thresholds for core aggregation programs following PUC implementation of
consumer protections. Would reduce the core aggregation program threshold
and offer billing options to core
aggregators. |
|
10/01 |
Proposed Final
Opinion re Restructuring Options (99-07-003). Approves a modified "comprehensive
settlement" - one of three contested settlement proposals addressing
options raised in D99-07-015 as applied to the SoCal and San Diego Gas
& Electric Co. gas systems. The decision would reduce the CAT program
minimum size to 120,000 therms and remove the cap on core aggregation.
Would eliminate core subscription program, so that "all noncore eligible
customers must either choose a competitive provider for gas commodity
service or take service from SoCal at core
rates." |
|
7/99 |
New Docket for
Considering Costs and Benefits of Various Promising Restructuring
Options (99-07-003). The PUC opened a new docket to address
the benefits and service costs of various "promising" restructuring
options, including effects on labor, safety, consumers, and environment.
The order sets a 60-day period for parties to reach consensus on a new
market structure that would also allow LDCs to continue offering full
service to its core customers. If no consensus is reached, testimony and
hearings are scheduled for Sept - Dec 1999. At the end of hearings, the
PUC intends to report its findings to the
legislature. |
|
7/99 |
PUC Identification
of Most Promising Restructuring Options (Decision 99-07-015). The PUC identified the "most
promising" options to consider for restructuring the CA gas industry and
closed the Order Instituting Investigation (OIR) R.98-01-011. These
options include: creation of firm, tradable intrastate transmission and
storage rights; establishment of secondary markets; making utilities "at
risk" for unused transmission and storage resources; cost and rate
separation for balancing services; separation of utility hub services from
supply purchases; unbundling supply and distribution costs for core
customers; elimination of core subscription service; elimination of core
aggregation transportation thresholds (after consumer protection measures
are in place); competitive metering technologies and competitive billing
options (like electric industry); equal access to customer-specific
information, transaction details, and pipeline operator demand forecasts
by customer class; and establishment of a utility electronic bulletin
board for secondary market transactions. |
|
10/98 |
New Inquiry
Schedule and Postponement. The PUC issued D.98-10-028 establishing a new
schedule for its inquiry hearings and testimony and postponing any
decisions until after 1/1/2000. As per 8/98 legislation, eliminates
requirement of 8/6/98 order (see "Goals of PUC Inquiry") that LDCs file
unbundled tariffs by 2/26/99. |
|
8/98 |
Goals of PUC
Inquiry. Interim Order, D.98-08-30. The PUC set goals of
inquiry and short-term steps to aid in assessing possible market reform.
Stated goals are to: complement benefits of electric restructuring,
eliminate unnecessary cross-subsidies, remove unnecessary market barriers,
enhance competition by unbundling supply and distribution services, ensure
service reliability and safety, provide sufficient consumer protection,
and ensure rates reflect cost of service. As first steps in assessing
possible restructuring: LDCs are to categorize costs of each service by
function in unbundling tariff filings by 2/26/99; those LDCs with "core
aggregation programs" are to remove threshold limits and file tariffs
accordingly; and the Energy Division is charged with developing consumer
protection rules. |
|
1/98 |
Investigation into
Restructuring Natural Gas Markets. The PUC opened Order Instituting Rulemaking (OIR)
R.98-01-011 on 1/21/98 to assess existing regulatory and market structures
and possible reforms that would lead to more competitive markets and
energy
convergence. |