(a) The commission shall direct the operator of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility located in the County of Los Angeles to provide all information the commission deems necessary for the commission to determine, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the Independent System Operator, and affected publicly owned utilities, the range of working gas necessary to ensure safety and reliability for the region and just and reasonable rates in California. The determination shall be based on best available data, and shall incorporate data from recent and ongoing studies being conducted to determine energy and gas use in the region by the commission, the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the Independent System Operator, and affected publicly owned utilities.
(b) Within 30 days of the effective date of the act adding this section, the commission shall publish a report that includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The range of working gas necessary at the facility to ensure safety and reliability and just and reasonable rates in California determined pursuant to subdivision (a).
(2) The amount of natural gas production at the facility needed to meet safety and reliability requirements.
(3) The number of wells and associated injection and production capacity required.
(4) The availability of sufficient natural gas production using gas storage wells that have satisfactorily completed testing and remediation required under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (c) of Section 3217 of the Public Resources Code.
(c) The commission shall make the report required under subdivision (b) available on its Internet Web site and seek, either through written comments or a workshop, public comments on the report.
(d) The executive director of the commission, in consultation with the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, shall direct the operator to maintain the specified range of working gas, determined pursuant to subdivision (a), at the facility to ensure reliability and just and reasonable rates in California, after all of the following occur:
(1) The gas storage well comprehensive safety review is complete pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (c) of Section 3217 of the Public Resources Code.
(2) The State Oil and Gas Supervisor has approved the maximum and minimum reservoir pressure pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 3217 of the Public Resources Code.
(3) The State Oil and Gas Supervisor has allowed injections of natural gas at the facility, pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 3217 of the Public Resources Code.
(4) The commission has allowed, and received, public comment on the report pursuant to subdivision (c).
(e) In no case may the volume of working gas set by the executive director of the commission result in reservoir pressures that fall out of the range established pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 3217 of the Public Resources Code.
(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2021, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2021, deletes or extends that date.
(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 14, Sec. 3. (SB 380) Effective May 10, 2016. Repealed as of January 1, 2021, by its own provisions.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018