Source: Imperial Valley Press
SACRAMENTO — A state Assembly bill that would require retail sellers of electricity and each local publicly owned electric utility to procure a proportionate share of new geothermal capacity has successfully moved out of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
If the bill is passed, affected public utilities and retail sellers of electricity would be required to procure at least half of the 3,000 megawatts mandated by statute by Dec. 31, 2021. The other half would need to be obtained by contracts with deliveries commencing no later than Jan. 1, 2030.
AB 893 would have major economic implications for both Imperial and Riverside counties, which are teeming with geothermal energy, Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia, who authored the bill, said in a press release. Garcia, D-Coachella, represents the 56th District, which includes Imperial County.
“As we work to achieve our 2030 greenhouse gas emission goals it becomes increasingly important that we take a comprehensive approach to better plan for powering California’s future in a way that ensures grid reliability and affordability for ratepayers,” Garcia said. “I look forward to further advancing AB 893 and keeping my community’s needs at the forefront of these policy discussions.”
Along with AB 893, Garcia was able to move a total of seven bills out of the Senate Committee on Appropriations last week. These bills are now on deck for a full Senate vote before returning to the Assembly for concurrence.
The bills are AB 626, AB 1918, AB 1945, AB 2056, AB 2060 and AB 2453.
