2. Background

Senate Bill (SB) 1078 established the California Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program effective January 1, 2003.¹ The RPS Program requires each California retail seller, with limited exception, to procure a minimum quantity of electricity from eligible renewable energy resources. The amount must increase by 1% each year, and reach 20% of total retail sales no later than 2010. The legislation directs the Commission and the California Energy Commission to implement and administer the RPS Program. Commission administration includes setting procurement targets, adopting rules for flexible compliance, assessing the reasonableness of electrical corporations' renewable energy procurement plans and reviewing proposed contracts between electric corporations and owners of eligible renewable energy resource projects based on consistency with approved procurement plans.

Several plans have been implemented, and solicitations held, by Southern California Edison Company (SCE), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) under the RPS Program. The Commission is required to review and accept, modify or reject each plan.

The work for which GPI seeks compensation here relates to the following Commission decisions in Rulemaking (R.) 06-05-07 and R.08-08-009:

· D.07-02-011: Conditionally accepted the 2007 RPS procurement plans of the three largest investor owned utilities (IOUs).

· D.07-05-057: Modified D.07-02-011 regarding the definition of Green Attributes.

· D.08-02-008: Conditionally accepted the 2008 RPS procurement plans.

· D.08-04-009: Compiled standard terms and conditions.

· D.09-06-018: Conditionally accepted the 2009 RPS procurement plans and integrated resource plan supplements.

· D.09-06-050: Established price benchmarks and contract review processes for short-term and bilateral procurement contracts for compliance with the RPS program.

Rulemakings (R.) 06-05-027 and R.08-08-009 both involve to RPS implementation. R.06-05-027 was closed upon the opening of R.08-08-009, and all open matters were moved to R.08-08-009. (See R.08-08-009, page 5, Ordering Paragraphs 2 and 13.) The request for compensation is being handed in R.08-08-009.

¹ Stats. 2002, Ch. 516, Sec. 3, codified as Pub. Util. Code §§ 399.11, et seq., as amended by SB 107 (Stats. 2006, Ch. 464, Sec 13, effective January 1, 2007). All subsequent references are to the Public Utilities Code unless noted otherwise.