AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 2, 2016

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 15, 2016

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2015–2016 REGULAR SESSION

95

CHAPTER 139

Statutes of 2016

[ Approved by Governor August 17, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State August 17, 2016. ]

Introduced by Assembly Member Beth Gaines

February 19, 2016

An act to add Section 10730.1 to the Water Code, relating to public utilities.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, requires all groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins by the Department of Water Resources that are designated as basins subject to critical conditions of overdraft to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2020, and requires all other groundwater basins designated as high- or medium-priority basins to be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan or coordinated groundwater sustainability plans by January 31, 2022, except as specified. The act authorizes any local agency or combination of local agencies overlying a groundwater basin to decide to become a groundwater sustainability agency for that basin, as prescribed.

The act authorizes a groundwater sustainability agency to impose fees, including, but not limited to, permit fees and fees on groundwater extraction or other regulated activity, to fund the costs of a groundwater sustainability program.

This bill would require a groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing or increasing a fee pursuant to this authority relating to a groundwater basin that includes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, to notify the Public Utilities Commission.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 10730.1 is added to the Water Code, to read:

10730.1.

A groundwater sustainability agency, before imposing or increasing a fee pursuant to Section 10730 or 10730.2 relating to a groundwater basin that includes a water corporation regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, shall notify the Public Utilities Commission.