Air pollution: regulations: consumer costs: review.

Assembly Member Patterson's proposal to modify California's air quality regulatory process would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to evaluate consumer costs before the State Air Resources Board can implement changes to two major climate programs - the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the Cap-and-Trade Program.

The bill creates a new prerequisite for regulatory action by requiring the Legislative Analyst to analyze how proposed changes would affect fuel prices per gallon and electricity costs per kilowatt hour. This analysis must be submitted to the Legislature before the Air Resources Board can proceed with adopting new standards, regulations, or rules affecting either program. The measure maintains existing provisions that authorize the board to implement technologically feasible air quality measures and anticipate emerging technologies to meet federal Clean Air Act requirements.

The Legislative Analyst's Office would need to develop protocols for conducting these cost assessments, though the bill does not specify deadlines for completing the analyses. This new requirement would apply to any modifications of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, which regulates the carbon intensity of transportation fuels, and the Cap-and-Trade Program, which sets greenhouse gas allowances for specified entities. The bill leaves the current structure and objectives of both programs unchanged while adding this analytical step to the regulatory process.