Energy utility data.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about the membership of the Data Access Governance Committee, leaving this as an unknown point.

Energy Utility Data Law

This law establishes a committee to advise on energy data, creates rules to protect customer information, and requires the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to verify utility company data before approving rate increases for grid improvements.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Data Access Governance Committee with specified membership to provide recommendations on energy data topics by January 1, 2027.
• Sets up the Customer Energy Utility Data Bill of Rights to protect customer information about electricity and gas use.
• Requires the PUC to prioritize gathering, analyzing, and independently verifying utility company data before approving rate increases for electrical grid infrastructure improvements.

Who It Names or Affects

• Public utilities like electricity and gas companies
• The Public Utilities Commission (PUC)
• Customers of public utilities

Terms To Know

Data Access Governance Committee

A committee that provides recommendations on energy data topics.

Customer Energy Utility Data Bill of Rights

Rules protecting customer information about electricity and gas use.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact membership of the Data Access Governance Committee.
• It is unclear how much it will cost to set up and run these new programs.
• Local publicly owned utilities might have to follow new rules, but we don't know all the details yet.

Official Summary Text

SB 620, as amended, Stern.
Public utilities: general rate cases: electrical grid infrastructure.
Energy utility data.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations and gas corporations, while local publicly owned utilities are under the direction of their governing boards. Existing law prohibits an electrical corporation, gas corporation, or local publicly owned electric utility from sharing, disclosing, or otherwise making accessible to any third party a customer’s electrical or gas consumption data, as defined, except as specified.
This bill would require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) to create the Data Access Governance Committee, with specified membership, and would require the committee, on or before January 1, 2027, to
provide initial recommendations on prescribed topics to the Energy Commission and the PUC, as specified. The bill would authorize the Energy Commission to work with certain gas corporations, electrical corporations, and local publicly owned utilities that provide gas or electrical service to enact cost-effective energy utility data programs, as specified. The bill would create, and would require the PUC and the Energy Commission to administer and enforce, the Customer Energy Utility Data Bill of Rights, with specified protections and customer rights.
Under existing law, a violation of any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the PUC is a crime.
Because a violation of a PUC action implementing the requirements of this bill would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
In addition, to the extent the bill would impose new requirements on local publicly owned utilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
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 no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.
Existing law authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to fix the rates and charges for public utilities and requires those rates and charges to be just and reasonable.
This bill would require the commission to prioritize the gathering, analysis, and independent verification of utility data used to justify general rate case proposals to ensure the cost-effective use of ratepayer funds for capital investments in electrical distribution and transmission grid infrastructure and the operation and maintenance of that infrastructure.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF