Bill > A1479

Introduced Session

This bill would establish an Office of Clean Energy Equity (office) in the Board of Public Utilities (board). The office is charged with overseeing the equitable deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency programs and technologies in overburdened communities, and the equitable provision of the tangible benefits of clean energy and increased energy efficiency at the household and community level, including clean energy asset ownership, energy cost savings, and employment and economic opportunities, to overburdened communities. The bill would require the office to: (1) establish onsite solar or community solar and energy efficiency programs, which benefit 250,000 low income households or 35 percent of the low income households in the State, whichever is larger, by 2030, with the goal of bringing these households within or below an average energy burden for the State, as defined by the United States Department of Energy Low Income Energy Affordability Data Tool; and (2) require the establishment of a minimum of 400 megawatts of energy storage in overburdened communities by 2030. In addition, the office would be required to: integrate workforce development training into all clean energy and energy storage programs established by the board; provide outreach and recruitment campaign grants to community-based organizations to increase participation in clean energy and energy efficiency programs; develop, in coordination with community-based organizations, outreach materials in multiple languages; appoint a community liaison and establish an advisory board consisting of representatives of overburdened communities to review and evaluate the clean energy and energy storage programs available to overburdened communities; and coordinate with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development and the Department of Community Affairs concerning their responsibilities pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of the bill. The bill would require the board to direct no less than 10 percent of the board's annual total clean energy budget, or at least $50 million annually, whichever is greater, to the office for the purposes of the bill. In addition, the bill would require the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the office and the Economic Development Authority, to establish a program to provide grants to community-based, diversity-focused nonprofit organizations to develop solar energy or clean energy paid workforce training programs that provide training to at least 2,500 individuals from overburdened communities by 2025. The department shall require, as a condition of a grant award, that the programs be updated every two years to ensure that they prepare participants adequately for the current job market in the solar energy or clean energy industry. The bill would also direct the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, in coordination with community-based organizations, to develop a program to provide entrepreneurial training, mentoring, apprenticeships, investment capital, loans, loan loss reserve funds, credit enhancement funds, or other technical and financial support to residents of overburdened communities to help launch new clean energy enterprises or establish careers in the clean energy workforce. Under the bill, the Department of Community Affairs, in consultation with the office, would require all new construction located in an overburdened community to be solar ready, and provide preference to applications for onsite, community solar, energy storage, or other clean energy projects that are sited in overburdened communities or include minority or women-owned businesses. Lastly, the bill would amend the current law establishing the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program to require the rules and regulations establishing the pilot program as a permanent program to require the provision of access to solar energy projects for low and moderate income customers in comply with the provisions of this bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Daniel Benson (D)*,  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Britnee Timberlake (D)*,  Clinton Calabrese (D),  Linda Carter (D),  Annette Chaparro (D),  Herbert Conaway (D),  Thomas Giblin (D),  Shama Haider (D),  Mila Jasey (D),  Robert Karabinchak (D),  John McKeon (D),  Angela Mcknight (D),  Raj Mukherji (D),  Carol Murphy (D),  Bill Spearman (D),  Sterley Stanley (D),  Cleopatra Tucker (D),  Benjie Wimberly (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Telecommunications and Utilities Committee (on 01/11/2022)

Official Document