California’s gas distribution network is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. At the same time, the state has explicitly signaled its desire to move away from natural gas in favor of electrification. To further public policy goals and achieve an equitable energy transition, mechanisms to redirect funding from gas infrastructure repairs to electrification investments should be explored.

The latest effort to transition away from gas is zonal decarbonization, to be piloted pursuant to SB 1221 (Min, 2024). SB 1221 was passed in the 2024 legislative session, and is currently in the early stages of implementation by the California Public Utilities Commission.

This brief by Elias Van Emmerick offers some recommendations for how the CPUC could most effectively leverage SB 1221 to achieve decarbonization goals. This is the first brief in a series titled “Legal Insights for the Gas Transition” published by the Emmett Clean Energy Law & Leadership Project (E-CELL) at UCLA School of Law.

Download the brief.