Bill Text: CA AB1918 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: State building standards: solar-ready and photovoltaic and battery storage system requirements: exemption.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-02 - In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. [AB1918 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB1918-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 03, 2024

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 18, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1918

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Introduced by Assembly Member Wood

January 24, 2024

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An act to add Section 18940.3 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to building standards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1918, as amended, Wood. State building standards: solar-ready requirement: and photovoltaic and battery storage system requirements: exemption.

Existing law, the California Building Standards Law, establishes the California Building Standards Commission and requires state agencies that adopt or propose adoption of any building standard to submit the building standard to the California Building Standards Commission for approval and adoption. Existing law requires the California Building Standards Commission to approve and adopt building standards, to codify those standards in the California Building Standards Code, and to publish, or cause to be published, editions of the code in its entirety once every 3 years.

Existing law authorizes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to prescribe, by regulation, energy efficiency standards, including appliance efficiency standards. Under this authority, the commission has established building standards for the installation of photovoltaic systems meeting certain requirements for certain residential and commercial buildings.

This bill would exempt a building that is constructed in the service territory of a public utility district, as specified, and that receives all of its electricity pursuant to a preference right adopted and authorized by the United States Congress, if that electricity is carbon free, from the building standards adopted by the Energy Commission and the California Building Standards Commission that require new residential and commercial buildings to be solar ready. ready or to have photovoltaic and battery storage systems installed. Because local entities would determine whether a building qualifies for the exemption, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Trinity Public Utilities District.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 18940.3 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

18940.3.

 A building that is constructed in the service territory of a public utility district and that receives all of its electricity pursuant to a preference right adopted and authorized by the United States Congress pursuant to Section 4 of the Trinity River Division Act of August 12, 1955, (Public Law 84-386), if that electricity is carbon free, is exempt from the building standards adopted by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the California Building Standards Commission that require new residential and commercial buildings to be solar ready. ready or to have photovoltaic and battery storage systems installed. This section only applies to a public utility district that files annual disclosures pursuant to Section 398.4 of the Public Utilities Code.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because the Trinity Public Utilities District (TPUD) is unique in that it is the only publicly owned utility that relies solely on hydropower, a completely carbon-free electricity source. Building standards adopted by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission require that new homes and some commercial spaces be built “solar ready.” Because TPUD’s ratepayers receive entirely carbon-free electricity at extremely low rates pursuant to the Trinity River Division Act of 1955, the installation of rooftop solar results in a net increase in housing costs and carbon emissions in the TPUD’s service territory. In order to further California’s climate goals and avoid increasing the cost of housing unnecessarily, it is necessary to exempt buildings in the Trinity Public Utilities District’s service territory from the these state building standards that require new residential and commercial buildings to be solar ready. standards.

SEC. 3.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.