Also, Imperial County Disaster Relief, Renewable Energy Transmission Financing, and State Highway Route 91 Corridor Bills Approved

(SACRAMENTO) – A flurry of activity on the Friday before the end of Legislative Session saw the approval of several more bills by State Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, as well as the signing of AB 1846 by the Governor (Chapter 195, Statutes of 2010). 

"Today, with the enactment of AB 1846, the state took another step toward the successful and responsible implementation of the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32)," said Pérez.  "This win-win bill demonstrates a simple yet effective change in statute that benefits business and job creation while assuring environmental integrity."

The bill expedites the environmental review process for projects that involve upgrades or retrofits to bring businesses into compliance with AB 32.  Specifically, it empowers state water and air agencies with the discretion to use a focused environmental impact report for projects that install pollution control equipment or change their raw material formulations to a more sustainable product for the purposes of AB 32 compliance. 

Examples of types of projects eligible under the new law could include energy efficiency modifications, diesel heater/boiler replacements, combined heating and cooling, tank infrastructure upgrades to comply with the low carbon fuel standard, and replacing natural gas compressors with electric ones. 

Also today, the Imperial County disaster relief bill, AB 2136, passed with solid, bipartisan support and now heads to the Governor's office for signature.  Assemblyman Pérez, together with State Senator Denise Ducheny, introduced the local disaster relief measure in the aftermath of the Sierra El Mayor earthquake which struck just south of the California-Mexico border on April 4, 2010.  The most serious damages for California occurred in Imperial County, now tackling a repair and recovery effort with an estimated pricetag to exceed $91 million. 

"This bill is one of the ways in which we've been working to assist our constituents, local governments, and area businesses in the wake of this disaster," said Pérez.  "The recovery and rebuilding is a long process, and we hope this bill will help to reduce some of the burden and disruption people have experienced."
"We've been working together since the moment of this disaster to make sure our constituents get relief from the terrible disruption caused in their lives. This important bill is just one of the ways we've all tried to provide some relief to the families' and businesses in Imperial County," said Senator Denise Ducheny, who is a principal co-author of the measure. "I'm proud of how our people and their representatives at all levels of government have pulled together to respond to this crisis."

The bill supplements a number of existing provisions in the law to provide disaster-related fiscal assistance and tax relief to impacted persons and jurisdictions for losses sustained.  The bill also includes the acceleration of loan forgiveness terms for any loans issued under the CalHome program for the rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement of lower income, owner-occupied manufactured homes damaged by the 7.2 earthquake.  The measure includes an urgency clause, meaning that once enacted, it takes effect immediately.

Yet another bill being sent to the Governor is AB 1954 (Skinner/Pérez), which authorizes the California Public Utilities Commission to provide administrative pre-approval of utility costs for transmission lines that facilitate achieving the Renewables Portfolio Standard.  In particular, the bill sets the "de minimus" amount of non-renewable energy that may be used by a renewable energy facility at two percent, and authorizes the Energy Commission to adjust that level up to five percent on a case by case basis. 

Finally, Pérez served as a co-author on AB 2098 (Miller), which authorizes the Riverside County Transportation  Commission to award a design-build contract for design and construction of the State Highway 91 Corridor Improvement Project.  The $1.2 billion improvement project between Interstate 15 in Riverside County and the Orange County line is expected to create 18,000 jobs, while also providing traffic congestion relief.

"I'm proud to see how both sides of the aisle worked together to move this proposal forward," said Pérez.  "Awarding this project as a single design-build contract helped to avoid a delay of three to five years.  Our county can't wait that long for this critical transportation project, which will bring jobs, spur economic activity and enhance traffic safety."

CONTACT: Amy L. Wilson @ (916) 319-2080