SB 176

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations. Existing law defines an "electric service provider" as an entity that offers electrical service to customers within the service territory of an electrical corporation, excluding electrical corporations, local publicly owned electric utilities, and certain cogenerators. Provisions of the existing Public Utilities Act restructuring the electrical services industry require that electric service providers register with the commission, and provide for the authorization of direct transactions between electric service providers and retail end-use customers. The act requires the commission, pursuant to electrical restructuring, to authorize and facilitate direct transactions between electricity suppliers and retail end-use customers. However, other existing law suspends the right of retail end-use customers other than community aggregators, as defined, to acquire service from certain electricity suppliers, after a period of time to be determined by the commission, until the Department of Water Resources no longer supplies electricity under that law. Notwithstanding this suspension, existing law authorizes a nonprofit charitable organization to acquire electric commodity service through a direct transaction with an electric service provider, until January 1, 2010, if electric commodity service is donated free of charge without compensation. This authorization will repeal on January 1, 2010, unless the date is extended or deleted. This bill would extend the repeal date until January 1, 2015.