California 2011-2012 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 D cosponsors

AB 56 — Gas corporations: rate recovery and expenditure: intrastate pipeline safety.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 519, Statutes of 2011.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. ✓
    Passed Assembly
  4. ✓
    Passed Senate
  5. ✓
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 06, 2010. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 80% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 8 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. This bill would prohibit a gas corporation from recovering any fine or penalty in any rate approved by the commission. The bill would require a gas corporation to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the commission in its general rate case proceeding that the requested revenue requirements will be sufficient to enable the gas corporation to fund those projects and activities necessary to maintain safe and reliable service and to meet federal and state safety requirements applicable to its gas plant, in a cost-effective manner. The bill would require a gas corporation to file gas transmission and storage safety reports with the commission's consumer protection safety division that include certain matter and require that if the division determines that there is a deficiency in a gas corporation's prioritization or administration of the storage or pipeline capital projects or operation and maintenance activities, to bring the deficiency to the commission's immediate attention. This bill would require the commission, in any ratemaking proceeding in which the commission authorizes a gas corporation to recover expenses for a federal transmission pipeline integrity management program, or for related capital expenditures for the maintenance and repair of transmission pipelines, to require the gas corporation to establish and maintain a balancing account for the recovery of those expenses. This provision would not become operative if SB 879 is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2012, and SB 879 enacts an identical provision. (2) The Public Utilities Act authorizes the commission to ascertain and fix just and reasonable standards, classifications, regulations, practices, measurements, or service to be furnished, imposed, observed, and followed by specified public utilities, including gas corporations. Existing federal law requires the United States Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to adopt minimum safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline facilities, including an interstate gas pipeline facility and intrastate gas pipeline facility, as defined. Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe or enforce safety standards and practices for an intrastate pipeline facility or intrastate pipeline transportation to the extent that the safety standards and practices are regulated by a state authority that submits to the secretary annually a certification for the facilities and transportation or alternatively authorizes the secretary to make an agreement with a state authority authorizing it to take necessary action to meet certain pipeline safety requirements. Existing law prohibits a state authority from adopting or continuing in force safety standards for interstate pipeline facilities or interstate pipeline transportation. Existing law authorizes a state authority that has submitted a current certification to adopt additional or more stringent safety standards for intrastate pipeline facilities and intrastate pipeline transportation only if those standards are compatible with the minimum standards prescribed by PHMSA. This bill would require owners and operators of intrastate transmission and distribution lines for natural gas, at least once each calendar year, to meet with each local fire department having fire suppression responsibilities in the area where those lines are located to discuss and review contingency plans for emergencies involving the intrastate transmission and distribution lines within the jurisdiction of the local fire department. The bill would require the commission, unless it determines that doing so is preempted under federal law, to require the installation of automatic shutoff or remote controlled sectionalized block valves on certain intrastate transmission lines, as specified. The bill would require each gas corporation to prepare and submit to the commission a proposed comprehensive pressure testing implementation plan that includes specified elements and require that, at the conclusion of an implementation period, all intrastate transmission line segments meet specified requirements. (3) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. (4) 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 a specified reason.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 519, Statutes of 2011.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.

  4. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 71. Noes 7. Page 3206.).

  5. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  6. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 1. Page 2422.).

  7. Ordered to third reading.

  8. (Ayes 23. Noes 14. Page 2392.)

  9. Withdrawn from committee.

  10. Senate Rule 29.3(b) suspended. (Ayes 23. Noes 2. Page 2338.)

  11. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  12. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  13. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  14. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  15. Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading.

  16. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 3.) (August 25).

  17. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  18. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  19. From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 3.) (July 5).

  20. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on E., U., & C.

  21. Referred to Com. on E., U., & C.

  22. Measure version as amended on May 27 corrected.

  23. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  24. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 54. Noes 21. Page 1784.)

  25. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  26. Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  27. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (May 27).

  28. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  29. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  30. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Read second time and amended.

  31. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (March 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  32. Re-referred to Com. on U. & C.

  33. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & C. Read second time and amended.

  34. Re-referred to Com. on U. & C.

  35. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on U. & C. Read second time and amended.

  36. Referred to Com. on U. & C.

  37. From printer. May be heard in committee January 6.

  38. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

  • Alquist · Cosponsor
  • Corbett · Cosponsor
  • Dickinson · Cosponsor
  • Hill · Primary
  • Josh Lowenthal · Cosponsor

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 117 not signed on · 4 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • Hill

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (117)

117 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 117 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

AB 56 HILL Concurrence in Senate Amendments

Passed 71 Yea · 7 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 69602
Republican 1100
Democratic 1000
Total 71702
% of votes cast 89%9%0%3%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Gordon — Yea
Hagman — Yea
Feuer — Yea
Carter — Yea
Butler — Yea
Cedillo — Yea
Fong — Yea
Allen — Yea
Eng — Yea
Furutani — Yea
Garrick — Yea
Hill — Yea
Huber — Yea
Swanson — Yea
Wagner — Yea
Fuentes — Yea
Galgiani — Yea
Yamada — Yea
Halderman — Yea
Hall — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Portantino — Yea
John A. Pérez — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
Hayashi — Yea
Fletcher — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Chesbro — Yea
Huffman — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Jeffries — Yea
Beall — Yea
Davis — Yea
Lara — Yea
Mendoza — Yea
Miller — Yea
Nestande — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Pan — Yea
Silva — Yea
Torres — Yea
Valadao — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Campos — Yea
Gorell — Not Voting
Donnelly — Nay
Morrell — Nay
Norby — Nay
Achadjian — Yea
Alejo — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Block — Yea
Blumenfield — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Brownley — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Knight — Nay
Logue — Yea
Ma — Yea
Mansoor — Not Voting
Monning — Yea
Olsen — Nay
Perea — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Solorio — Yea
Smyth — Yea
Williams — Yea
Conway — Nay
Cook — Yea
Dickinson — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Yea
Bonnie Lowenthal — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
V. Manuel Pérez — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay

Official roll call →

3rd Supp 1 AB56 Hill By Corbett

Passed 35 Yea · 1 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 32104
Republican 1000
Democratic 2000
Total 35104
% of votes cast 88%3%0%10%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Yee — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Harman — Yea
Huff — Yea
Runner — Yea
Lowenthal — Yea
De León — Yea
Blakeslee — Yea
Kehoe — Yea
Lieu — Yea
Price — Yea
Simitian — Yea
Steinberg — Yea
Wright — Yea
Negrete McLeod — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Evans — Yea
Fuller — Not Voting
Cannella — Not Voting
Leno — Yea
Dutton — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Alquist — Yea
Anderson — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Liu — Not Voting
Vargas — Yea
Walters — Not Voting
Wolk — Yea
Wyland — Yea
Corbett — Yea
Emmerson — Yea
Correa — Yea
DeSaulnier — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Nay
La Malfa — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 6 Yea · 3 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6300
Total 6300
% of votes cast 67%33%0%0%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Runner — Nay
Kehoe — Yea
Lieu — Yea
Price — Yea
Steinberg — Yea
Alquist — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Walters — Nay
Emmerson — Nay

Official roll call →

Placed on Appropriations Suspense file.

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 8001
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Runner — Not Voting
Kehoe — Yea
Alquist — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Price — Yea
Walters — Yea
Lieu — Yea
Steinberg — Yea
Emmerson — Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations.

Passed 8 Yea · 3 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 7200
Republican 0100
Democratic 1000
Total 8300
% of votes cast 73%27%0%0%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
Rubio — Yea
De León — Yea
Corbett — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Simitian — Yea
Wright — Yea
DeSaulnier — Yea
Fuller — Nay
Bill Berryhill — Nay
Padilla, Stephen C. Democratic Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Nay

Official roll call →

AB 56 HILL Assembly Third Reading

Passed 54 Yea · 21 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 531905
Republican 0200
Democratic 1000
Total 542105
% of votes cast 68%26%0%6%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Gorell — Not Voting
Butler — Yea
Carter — Yea
Feuer — Yea
Fuentes — Yea
Furutani — Yea
Fong — Yea
Cedillo — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Allen — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Chesbro — Yea
Portantino — Yea
John A. Pérez — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
Hayashi — Yea
Davis — Yea
Hill — Yea
Alejo — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Beall — Yea
Dickinson — Yea
Huber — Yea
Huffman — Yea
Pan — Yea
Perea — Yea
Torres — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Yamada — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Campos — Yea
Cook — Nay
Garrick — Nay
Hagman — Nay
Lara — Yea
Logue — Nay
Mendoza — Yea
Olsen — Nay
Solorio — Yea
Wagner — Nay
Fletcher — Not Voting
Halderman — Nay
Hall — Not Voting
Jeffries — Nay
Miller — Nay
Morrell — Nay
Nestande — Not Voting
Nielsen — Nay
Norby — Nay
Silva — Nay
Smyth — Nay
Valadao — Nay
Achadjian — Yea
Block — Yea
Blumenfield — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Brownley — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Knight — Nay
Ma — Yea
Mansoor — Nay
Monning — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Swanson — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Williams — Yea
Conway — Nay
Eng — Yea
Donnelly — Nay
Galgiani — Yea
Beth Gaines — Not Voting
Bill Berryhill — Yea
Bonnie Lowenthal — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
V. Manuel Pérez — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 17 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 16000
Democratic 1000
Total 17000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (17)
Member Party Vote
Campos — Yea
Hall — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Hill — Yea
Davis — Yea
Donnelly — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Wagner — Yea
Blumenfield — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Lara — Yea
Norby — Yea
Solorio — Yea
Fuentes — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

Passed 9 Yea · 0 Nay · 6 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 8006
Democratic 1000
Total 9006
% of votes cast 60%0%0%40%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Gorell — Not Voting
Swanson — Yea
Fletcher — Not Voting
Huffman — Yea
Knight — Not Voting
Nestande — Not Voting
Skinner — Yea
Valadao — Not Voting
Bradford — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Ma — Yea
Fuentes — Not Voting
Furutani — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does AB 56 do?
(1) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including gas corporations, as defined. Existing law authorizes the commission to fix the rates and charges for every public utility, and requires that those rates and charges be just and reasonable. This bill would prohibit a gas corporation from recovering any fine or penalty in any rate approved by the commission. The bill would require a gas corporation to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the commission in its general rate case proceeding that the requested revenue requirements will be sufficient to enable the gas corporation to fund those projects and activities necessary to maintain safe and reliable service and to meet federal and state safety requirements applicable to its gas plant, in a cost-effective manner. The bill would require a gas corporation to file gas transmission and storage safety reports with the commission's consumer protection safety division that include certain matter and require that if the division determines that there is a deficiency in a gas corporation's prioritization or administration of the storage or pipeline capital projects or operation and maintenance activities, to bring the deficiency to the commission's immediate attention. This bill would require the commission, in any ratemaking proceeding in which the commission authorizes a gas corporation to recover expenses for a federal transmission pipeline integrity management program, or for related capital expenditures for the maintenance and repair of transmission pipelines, to require the gas corporation to establish and maintain a balancing account for the recovery of those expenses. This provision would not become operative if SB 879 is enacted and becomes effective on or before January 1, 2012, and SB 879 enacts an identical provision. (2) The Public Utilities Act authorizes the commission to ascertain and fix just and reasonable standards, classifications, regulations, practices, measurements, or service to be furnished, imposed, observed, and followed by specified public utilities, including gas corporations. Existing federal law requires the United States Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to adopt minimum safety standards for pipeline transportation and for pipeline facilities, including an interstate gas pipeline facility and intrastate gas pipeline facility, as defined. Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to prescribe or enforce safety standards and practices for an intrastate pipeline facility or intrastate pipeline transportation to the extent that the safety standards and practices are regulated by a state authority that submits to the secretary annually a certification for the facilities and transportation or alternatively authorizes the secretary to make an agreement with a state authority authorizing it to take necessary action to meet certain pipeline safety requirements. Existing law prohibits a state authority from adopting or continuing in force safety standards for interstate pipeline facilities or interstate pipeline transportation. Existing law authorizes a state authority that has submitted a current certification to adopt additional or more stringent safety standards for intrastate pipeline facilities and intrastate pipeline transportation only if those standards are compatible with the minimum standards prescribed by PHMSA. This bill would require owners and operators of intrastate transmission and distribution lines for natural gas, at least once each calendar year, to meet with each local fire department having fire suppression responsibilities in the area where those lines are located to discuss and review contingency plans for emergencies involving the intrastate transmission and distribution lines within the jurisdiction of the local fire department. The bill would require the commission, unless it determines that doing so is preempted under federal law, to require the installation of automatic shutoff or remote controlled sectionalized block valves on certain intrastate transmission lines, as specified. The bill would require each gas corporation to prepare and submit to the commission a proposed comprehensive pressure testing implementation plan that includes specified elements and require that, at the conclusion of an implementation period, all intrastate transmission line segments meet specified requirements. (3) Under existing law, a violation of the Public Utilities Act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because the provisions of this bill would be a part of the act and because a violation of an order or decision of the commission implementing its requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. (4) 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 a specified reason.
Who sponsors AB 56?
AB 56 is sponsored by Alquist, Corbett, Dickinson, Hill, and Lowenthal, Josh (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 56?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced December 06, 2010. Enacted.
Where can I track AB 56?
Track AB 56 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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