25460-25464
PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTION 25460-25464
25460. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the 111th Congress enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) that appropriates funds for various energy programs administered by the commission. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the commission should have the authority to award contracts, grants, and loans from funds received pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and to make the awards as expeditiously as possible. 25461. (a) Except as provided in Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 25450), the commission shall administer federal funds allocated to, and received by, the state for energy-related projects pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) or federal acts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. (b) Unless otherwise prohibited by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) or subsequent federal acts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the commission may use the federal funds to award contracts, grants, and loans, including loan guarantees, loan loss reserves, and credit enhancements, for energy efficiency, energy conservation, renewable energy, and other energy-related projects and activities authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or subsequent federal acts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 25462. (a) The commission may adopt guidelines governing the award, eligibility, and administration of funding pursuant to this chapter at a publicly noticed meeting offering all interested parties an opportunity to comment. The commission shall provide written public notice of not less than 30 days for the initial adoption of guidelines. Substantive changes to the guidelines shall not be adopted without 15-day written notice to the public. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any guidelines adopted pursuant to this chapter shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (b) Grants and loans made pursuant to this chapter are subject to appeal to the commission upon a showing that factors other than those described in the guidelines adopted by the commission were applied in making the awards and payments. 25463. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, federal funds available to the commission pursuant to this chapter may be used by the commission to augment funding for any programs or measures authorized by this division unless otherwise prohibited by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The commission may administer any funds used to augment other programs using the procedures of the augmented program consistent with applicable federal law. (b) This section shall be liberally construed to maximize the commission's ability to utilize and award federal funds expeditiously and in accordance with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or federal acts related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 25464. (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) "Fund" means the Clean and Renewable Energy Business Financing Revolving Loan Fund. (2) "Program" means the Clean and Renewable Energy Business Financing Revolving Loan Program. (b) (1) The commission may use federal funds available pursuant to this chapter to implement the Clean and Renewable Energy Business Financing Revolving Loan Program to provide low interest loans to California clean and renewable energy manufacturing businesses. (2) The commission may use other funding sources to leverage loans awarded under the program. (c) The commission may work directly with the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the Treasurer, or any other state agency, board, commission, or authority to implement and administer the program, and may contract for private services as needed to implement the program. (d) The commission may collect an application fee from applicants applying for funding under the program to help offset the costs of administering the program. (e) (1) The Clean and Renewable Energy Business Financing Revolving Loan Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury to implement the program. The commission is authorized to administer the fund for this purpose. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, the money in the fund is continuously appropriated to the commission, without regard to fiscal years, to implement the program. (2) Upon direction by the commission, the Controller shall create any accounts or subaccounts within the fund that the commission determines are necessary to facilitate management of the fund. (3) The Controller shall disburse and receive moneys in the fund for purposes of the program and as authorized by the commission. (4) All loans and repayments of loans made pursuant to this section, including interest payments, penalty payments, and all interest earning on or accruing to any moneys in the fund, shall be deposited in the fund and shall be available for the purposes of this section. (5) The commission may expend up to 5 percent of moneys in the fund for its administrative costs to implement the program. (f) Federal funds available to the commission pursuant to this chapter shall be transferred to the fund in the loan amounts when loans are awarded under the program by the commission.