Section 16428.3.

(a) Any energy settlement agreement entered into by the Attorney General, after reimbursing the Attorney General's litigation and investigation expenses, to the maximum extent possible, shall direct settlement funds to the following purposes in priority order:

(1) To reduce ratepayer costs of those utility ratepayers harmed by the actions of the settling parties. To the extent the ratepayers of the investor-owned utilities were harmed, the settlement funds shall be directed to reduce their costs, to the maximum extent possible, through reduction of rates or the reduction of ratepayer debt obligations incurred as a result of the energy crisis.

(2) For deposit in the fund.

(b) Nothing in this article shall preclude nonmonetary compensation to the state through an energy settlement agreement, provided that the allocation of benefits from any nonmonetary compensation is consistent with paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 228, Sec. 16. Effective August 11, 2003.)