HF 4653 Summary

• Public utilities may file a program with the Public Utilities Commission to promote deployment of electric school buses in their service territory.

• Utilities can provide rebates to school districts for the incremental cost difference between electric and fossil-fuel-powered school buses, and may deploy charging infrastructure on school district property at the district's request.

• School districts receiving rebates must contract with the utility to assume all liability and maintenance responsibility for the electric school bus, and grant the utility an option to own the battery upon retirement.

• The commission must approve, modify, or reject program proposals within 180 days based on whether they accelerate electric school bus deployment (particularly in poor air quality areas) and reduce greenhouse gas and particulate emissions.

• Utilities may include prudent and reasonable infrastructure investments in their rate base with commission-determined rates of return, and the commission may approve automatic tariff adjustments for program implementation costs.