State Air Resources Board: regulatory authority: revocation.

Senator Niello's proposal to restructure California's greenhouse gas emissions oversight would shift regulatory authority from the State Air Resources Board (ARB) to the Legislature, fundamentally altering the state's approach to emissions control. The measure revokes ARB's power to adopt, modify, or repeal regulations, limiting the agency to an advisory role in which it provides recommendations to lawmakers for potential statutory action.

Under the proposed framework, ARB would retain its monitoring responsibilities for greenhouse gas emissions but would no longer independently establish or modify regulations. The bill preserves existing ARB regulations enacted before January 1, 2026, maintaining current requirements while preventing the agency from creating new rules thereafter. Instead, ARB would analyze emissions data and present policy proposals to the Legislature, which would then consider these recommendations through the standard legislative process.

The measure affects multiple sections of California's Health and Safety Code, applying this change across all areas where ARB currently exercises regulatory authority. This comprehensive approach ensures consistency in the agency's revised role, with all future emissions-related regulations requiring legislative approval rather than agency action. The transition preserves ARB's technical expertise in an advisory capacity while centralizing regulatory decision-making within the Legislature.