California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions.

Assembly Member Petrie-Norris's proposal to exempt certain electrical transmission projects from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements aims to accelerate grid infrastructure upgrades while maintaining environmental safeguards. The exemption would apply to projects involving inspection, maintenance, repair, restoration, reconditioning, reconductoring with advanced conductors, replacement, or removal of transmission wires and directly attached equipment.

To qualify for the exemption, projects must occur within existing rights-of-way and include legally binding agreements to restore sites to their original condition after completion. For projects on private property, owners must explicitly grant access permission. Lead agencies determining a project's exemption status must file notices with both the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and county clerks in affected jurisdictions.

The bill's findings note California's renewable energy targets, including requirements for 60% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% clean energy by 2045. According to these findings, reconductoring - replacing existing transmission wires with higher-capacity alternatives - allows increased power transmission using current infrastructure. Local agencies retain authority to levy fees and charges to cover costs associated with implementing the new requirements, with no state reimbursement mandated for program administration.