California Governor Schwarzenegger signed an array of legislation over the last week furthering the state’s commitment to energy efficiency, conservation and pollution reduction.
Attracting the most attention is the Solar Water Heating and Efficiency Act of 2007 (AB 1470), authored by Assembly Member Jared Huffman (Marin), which aims to create a mainstream market for solar water heating technologies by offering $250 million in rebates for California consumers over the next ten years. Funds for the rebates will come from a 13-cent per month surcharge on gas bills.
The program, which will be implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and individual municipal utilities, will be the nation’s largest solar water heating program and is likely to bring a number of benefits to the state including reduced global warming pollution, stabilized energy prices and lower utility bills.
A report by Environment California Research & Policy Center showed that a mainstream market for solar water heating could cut 6.8 million tons of global warming pollution per year, while cutting natural gas use in homes by 50-75%.
The governor also signed AB 118, which funds the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program through a $2 increase in vehicle registration fees. The bill is expected to create $120 million per year to be used by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to bring cleaner fuels and vehicles to California roadways. An additional $80 million in annual funding will go to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for smog reduction and public health improvements.
Other significant bills approved by the governor include the following:
” AB 662 allows for greater water-efficiency standards for appliances.
” AB 1103 requires electric utilities to maintain records of energy consumption for nonresidential buildings and requires building owners to provide benchmarking data to prospective buyers or lessees.
” AB 1109 prohibits the manufacturing or sale of certain general purpose lights that contain hazardous substances and requires the adoption of energy efficiency standards for general purpose lights.
” AB 1481 creates a statewide permitting process for landscape irrigation uses of recycled water, such as parks, playgrounds and golf courses.
” AB 1560 requires the California Energy Commission to incorporate standards for water efficiency and conservation into the existing building standards governing energy efficiency.
” AB 1613 authorizes the CPUC to require utilities to buy excess power from combined heat and power systems
” AB 236 mandates petroleum-reduction targets for state vehicles and the consideration of fuel cost and economy, emissions, hybrid or “Best in Class” vehicles, and alternative fuel vehicles before awarding a vehicle procurement contract to a state agency.
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