(a) (1) Notwithstanding § 10231.5 of the Government Code, on or before January 1, 2024, and every three years thereafter, the commission shall submit an assessment to the Legislature, in accordance with § 9795 of the Government Code, and to the Governor that does all of the following:

(A) Identifies methods to ensure a reliable supply of affordable and safe transportation fuels in California. The assessment shall include estimates for the level of transportation fuels at the state level, and, to the extent feasible, at regional and local levels, and individual refineries if relevant, that should be held in reserve by refiners to prevent gasoline price spikes. The assessment shall consider all factors causing price fluctuation in retail gasoline prices when recommending adequate reserve levels. The commission shall consider all relevant evidence from any reasonably available source, including, but not limited to, information about imports, by amount, source, if known, and data received by the commission pursuant to existing laws, economic and business experts, and information from any local, state, and federal agencies. The commission shall transmit to the Legislature, in accordance with § 9795 of the Government Code, any proposals it deems appropriate for mandatory reserve levels and the terms of a program to implement reserve levels.

(B) Evaluates the price of transportation fuels, including branded and unbranded retail prices, alternate formulations of gasoline with lower carbon impact, and other products suitable for production from refineries in California. This evaluation shall consider the market demand for these products at 3-, 7-, 10- and 20-year intervals from the date of the assessment and shall rely on the most recent transportation forecasting and assessment activities conducted pursuant to Section 25304. This evaluation shall include both of the following:

(i) An examination of whether branded fuel additives have any impact, and if so, how much, on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions.

(ii) An assessment of the presence and availability of retail outlets, including monitoring changes in availability of retail outlets that contribute to increasing retail prices in local and regional areas.

(C) Considers different levels of supply conditions and assesses the impact of potential refinery closures in California.

(D) Includes an analysis of the impacts on production of refinery planned maintenance, unplanned maintenance, and turnaround. The assessment shall evaluate ways to manage necessary maintenance among the various facilities that would protect the health and safety of employees and the public, and minimize the impact of maintenance-related production losses. Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of Industrial Relations and Division of Occupational Safety and Health shall disclose to the commission, upon request, any information the department and division have received under § 7872 of the Labor Code to ensure all aspects of refinery safety are incorporated into the assessment. All information designated confidential shall be treated as confidential by the commission.

(E) Evaluates the utility and feasibility of alternative methods to maintain adequate supplies of transportation fuels, including delivery alternatives for fuel and components of refined fuel, such as delivery by rail, a publicly maintained strategic fuel reserve, and other solutions beyond the activities of refineries and petroleum market participants.

(F) Proposes solutions to mitigate any impacts described in the assessment. The solutions shall include an assessment of the employment impacts and the cost and cost-effectiveness of any proposal, including cost impacts to all impacted sectors, both public and private. The assessment shall include recommendations and alternatives.

(2) The first assessment shall include the evaluation of oil and gas extraction and refining that the State Air Resources Board outlined in the most recent update to the scoping plan prepared pursuant to § 38561 of the Health and Safety Code.

(b) The assessment shall be separate from the report submitted pursuant to Section 25302 and shall be developed in a public process. The assessment shall be available to the public within the proceeding docket and shall be approved by a vote of the commission at its business meeting.

(c) The commission may enter into contracts to perform the assessment required by subdivision (a) and the contracts shall not require the review, consent, or approval of the Department of General Services or any other state department or agency and do not need to comply with requirements under the State Contracting Manual or the Public Contract Code.

(d) The Division of Petroleum Market Oversight shall provide input to and otherwise support other divisions of the commission in preparation of the assessment required by subdivision (a).

(Added by Stats. 2023, 1st Ex. Sess., Ch. 1, Sec. 10. (SB 2 1x) Effective June 26, 2023.)