(a) The commission shall authorize public utilities to engage in programs to encourage economic development.
(b) Reasonable expenses for economic development programs, as specified in this section, shall be allowed, to the extent of ratepayer benefit, when setting rates to be charged by public utilities electing to initiate these programs.
(c) Economic development activities may include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) Community marketing and development.
(2) Technical assistance to support technology transfer.
(3) Market research.
(4) Site inventories.
(5) Industrial and commercial expansion and relocation assistance.
(6) Business retention and recruitment.
(7) Management assistance.
(d) This section shall not be interpreted to permit the funding of economic development activities that benefit any affiliated companies or parent holding companies beyond that which is authorized by law as of January 1, 1992.
(e) (1) This section does not authorize the commission to establish discriminatory rates for the purpose of attracting or benefiting specific industries or business entities, except that incentives may be provided for the benefit of industries or business entities whose facilities are located within the boundaries of enterprise zones, economic incentive areas, recycling market development zones, or federal rural enterprise communities in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 12.8 (commencing with Section 7070) and Article 1 (commencing with Section 7080) of Chapter 12.9 of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, and Article 2 (commencing with Section 42145) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of the Public Resources Code.
(2) The commission may apply the incentives authorized by this subdivision that benefit industries or business entities whose facilities are located within the boundaries of economic enterprise zones or incentive areas to attract a federal Department of Defense Finance and Accounting Service Center at the existing site of Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino County. This paragraph shall become inoperative if the federal Department of Defense Finance and Accounting Service Center is not located upon the premises known as Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino County and shall also become inoperative on February 1, 1994, if that facility has not been awarded to that site before that date.
(f) The commission may provide incentives pursuant to subdivision (e) to industries or business entities whose facilities are located within the boundaries of an enterprise zone that engage in activities in connection with the conversion of Fort Ord to other uses.
(g) The commission may authorize rate discounts to industries or business entities whose facilities are located or will be located within the boundaries of enterprise zones, recycling market development zones, or economic incentive areas pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (e). These discounts may be applied in either of the following ways:
(1) Utilities may apply reduced monthly rates to qualifying customers’ monthly utility bills.
(2) Utilities may, at the election of qualifying customers, assign the discounts to a private or public entity that returns consideration of like value to those customers, provided the customers agree to maintain their facilities in an enterprise zone, a recycling market development zone, or an economic incentive area for a minimum of five years from the date of commencement of the discount.
(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Public Utilities Commission, in implementing this chapter, shall allow rate recovery of expenses and rate discounts supporting economic development programs within the geographic area served by any public utility to the extent the utility incurring or proposing to incur those expenses and rate discounts demonstrates that the ratepayers of the public utility will derive a benefit from those programs. Further, it is the intent of the Legislature that expenses for economic development programs incurred prior to the effective date of this chapter, which have not been previously authorized to be recovered in rates, shall not be subject to rate recovery.
(Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 17, Sec. 127. Effective January 1, 1998.)