Bill > AB2196

This bill amends existing California law to clarify the eligibility of certain renewable energy resources, specifically focusing on biomethane, for inclusion in the state's renewable energy portfolio standard, which is a requirement for electricity providers to source a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. The bill modifies the definition of a "renewable electrical generation facility" to include specific criteria for facilities using landfill gas or digester gas, collectively referred to as biomethane, when delivered through a common carrier pipeline, which is a pipeline system that transports gas for multiple users. It establishes new rules for when biomethane procurement contracts, especially those executed or amended after March 29, 2012, will qualify as renewable energy, requiring that the biomethane be used by an onsite generating facility, delivered via a dedicated pipeline, or if delivered through a common carrier pipeline, it must meet specific conditions related to its source, injection into the pipeline, and demonstrable environmental benefits to California, such as reducing air pollution or water contamination. The bill also mandates that the environmental attributes of biomethane production and capture must be transferred and retired to ensure zero net emissions from electricity generated using biomethane, and requires a tracking and verification system for biomethane usage. Furthermore, it prohibits certain marketing claims about greenhouse gas reductions from biomethane capture if that capture is legally required, and clarifies that if any part of these new rules is found invalid, biomethane delivered through a common carrier pipeline under contracts executed shortly after the invalidation will not qualify as a renewable energy resource.