Summary of Live
Energize State Bills

California

  • Invest in Clean Air Act (AB 2535, Bonta)

    • Co-sponsored by the founding members of the Charge Ahead California Campaign (Communities for a Better Environment, NRDC, Greenlining, Coalition for Clean Air, and Environment California)

    • Seeks to redirect at least half the approximately $500 million allocated per year in Trade Corridor Enhancement Program funding, which has historically been spent primarily on pollution-increasing freeway expansion projects, toward ZEV charging infrastructure along freight corridors instead (with a focus on medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs).

      • Would result in approximately $2.6 billion in ZEV infrastructure investment cumulative to 2040

    • The bill would also set a new national precedent by prohibiting certain forms of freeway expansion in communities most-burdened by diesel particulate matter pollution.

  • Status:

    • Passed by a 9-4 vote a critical Assembly Transportation Committee hearing on 4/22

    • Assembly Appropriations to follow, then Assembly floor before proceeding to the Senate. 

  • Supporting Materials:

Colorado

  • Power Up Colorado Act (President Fenberg & Senator Hansen, Majority Leader Duran & Representative Brown)

  •  Policy Summary

    • Addresses near-term interconnection and energization backlogs

      • Fast-tracks immediate grid upgrade needs, subject to cost caps

      • $150M set aside for preordering needed grid equipment

      • Study of hosting capacity for disproportionately impacted communities

      • Collection of data to inform energization deadlines

    • Ensures a quality workforce for distribution system planning and investment

      • Provides funding to expand registered apprenticeship programs

      • Staffing & labor requirements

    • Aligns grid planning and investment with federal, state, regional, and local decarbonization and air quality goals, standards, and regulations

      • Consultation with disadvantaged communities, environmental & public health experts, vehicle manufacturers, EV charging companies, fleet customers, local gov’t, labor, and other relevant experts

      • Minimizing costs through non-wires alternatives, load management, etc.

    • Long-term PUC rulemaking in 2025

      • Establishes energization timelines

      • Updates interconnection timelines

    • Creates a Virtual Power Plant program

    • Cost recovery

      • Establishes forward-looking cost recovery, subject to various guardrails

      • Ties cost-recovery to performance, execution of interconnection and energization timelines, and load management

  • Status

  • Consensus achieved on bill draft between key stakeholders, leg leadership, and the administration

  • Next milestone: To be introduced week of 4/22/24

  • Session ends 5/8/24

Illinois

  • Powering Up Illinois Act (Senate Bill 3794 & House Bill 5610)

  • Policy Summary

    • Makes it state policy that investor-owned utilities should prepare the grid for the transportation and building electrification needed to meet “state decarbonization goals and federal, state, regional, and local air quality and decarbonization standards, plans, and regulations.” The bill is broad in its construction, applying to “light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and off-road vehicles, vessels, trains, and equipment.”

    • Sets a deadline for the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to establish average and maximum target interconnection timelines.

    • Requires the utilities to report on their compliance with those timelines, explain why they’re missing them if they are and explain what they’re going to do about it.

    • Directs the ICC to take any actions needed to ensure compliance with those deadlines.

    • Requires the utilities to report workforce needs to comply with the act and to hire accordingly.

    • Aligns Illinois Distribution System Planning process with state, regional, and local decarbonization and air quality goals, standards, and regulations. 

    • Ensures utilities can make the investments needed to meet those goals in a timely manner.

  • Status

    • Favorable hearing in the House Public Utilities Committee on 4/2. 

    • Holding on second reading while an amendment is agreed upon by stakeholders. Once agreed upon, there will be another vote in committee before heading to the House floor.

    • Next milestone: Third reading deadline on 4/19, but an extension is anticipated. 

    • Session ends 5/24/24

  • Supporting Materials

New Jersey

  • NRDC and EDF have proposed amendments to an existing Grid Modernization bill (S258, Smith) that cover:

    • The provision of make-ready electrical infrastructure on the utility side of the meter reduces the cost of installing charging infrastructure by ~25% and provide more uniform and predictable utility support than existing utility rules. Requires utilities to construct the utility-side infrastructure between the meter and grid necessary to charge EVs as part of the normal course of business. A logical extension of existing line-extension rules, make-ready infrastructure rules for EV charging provide a more predictable foundation upon which private and public investments can be made to install charging infrastructure.

    • Rates and vehicle grid integration reduces the costs of charging for consumers and businesses, lowering household fuel expenditures and attracting private capital, and ensure EVs become an asset to the grid, charging at times when there is spare capacity and abundant renewable generation. Requires utilities to offer customers affordable, equitable, and sustainable rates for residential, commercial and public EV charging that mitigate the problem posed by existing demand charges that result in bills that are unjustifiably high. Also requires utility to implement EV grid integration programs that take advantage of the flexible nature of EV load to support the operation of the electric grid.

    • Fulfilling the obligation to serve in a timeframe that aligns with state policy prevents troubling backlogs in energizing charging stations that could undermine compliance with state and federal vehicle standards and requires utilities strategically plan to fulfil their obligation to serve.  Requires utilities to make grid investments necessary to meet relevant federal, state, regional, and local climate, air quality, and equity goals, laws, and regulations. Establishes reasonable average and minimum target energization timelines, holds utilities accountable to meet those timelines, requires utilities to hire and build the career pipeline necessary to build the grid we need to support the electrification of the transportation and building sector, and ensures cost recovery that aligns with state policy.

  • Status

    • 3/14/24-Passed Senate policy committee, referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations

    • Yet to incorporate amends suggested by NRDC and EDF

    • Session adjourns 12/31/24