Energy & Environment

Streamlines the coastal development amendment process by making minor changes effective upon meeting adjournment. Reduces reporting requirements for coastal violations from annual to every five years with expanded scope. Allows local governments to enforce building code violations within certified coastal programs. Maintains penalties up to 75% of maximum fines for coastal access and environmental violations.

Reduces the maximum hazardous waste accumulation limit from 200kg to 20kg before storage facility requirements apply. Establishes new procedures for consolidating small hazardous waste containers into larger consolidation containers. Expands the definition of tanks exempt from underground storage regulations to include dielectric fluid systems. Allows electronic submission of hazardous waste notifications through a statewide information management system.

Allows EV charging stations to require app-based payments if located in facilities that only permit app access. Maintains existing requirements for contactless card payments and toll-free phone options at public charging stations. Requires charging stations to disclose fees, payment methods, and roaming charges to a national database.

Establishes a weighted voting system to break ties in selecting San Diego Air Pollution Control District board members. Authorizes the appointment of alternate board members who can vote and receive compensation when serving. Reduces terms from four to two years for specific board members appointed in 2029. Expands military liaison role by removing the requirement that the liaison be from the board of supervisors.

Establishes compensation of up to $200 per day for county air pollution control district board members. Limits annual board member compensation to $7,200 with potential increases based on inflation. Requires reimbursement for necessary expenses incurred during official board duties. Mandates board approval through open meeting resolutions for any compensation increases.

Increases penalties for recklessly causing fires by making most violations felonies instead of misdemeanors. Mandates prison sentences of up to 6 years and fines up to $10,000 for fires causing serious injury. Requires consecutive prison terms for inmates who commit fire-related offenses while incarcerated.

Extends Reclamation District No. 108's authority to generate and sell hydroelectric power indefinitely. Requires the district to submit a detailed operational and financial report to legislative committees by 2036. Restricts power sales to public utilities and agencies only, prohibiting direct sales to other customers. Mandates that electricity sale proceeds must first pay off construction costs before other district purposes.

Requires Public Utilities commissioners to attend 25% of ratesetting hearings to receive their salaries. Extends funding for deaf and disabled telecommunications programs through 2031 via surcharges. Continues transportation network companies' accessibility programs and fees through 2032. Mandates commissioners to appear at legislative hearings when requested by committee chairs.

Expands the California Wildfire Mitigation Program Board to include the Department of Insurance by July 2026. Requires state agencies to jointly manage programs for fire-resistant building upgrades and vegetation management. Delegates wildfire mitigation program responsibilities to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Makes technical changes to coastal development permits and marine invasive species reporting requirements.

Updates California's carbon pricing system to use EPA's 2023 social cost of carbon calculations. Maintains emission allowance price controls through 2030 to protect businesses and consumers. Requires detailed progress reports to the Legislature on meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets. Allows up to 6% of emissions obligations to be met through carbon offset credits by 2026.

Extends the deadline for challenging Public Utilities Commission decisions from 30 to 90 days. Prohibits utility companies from charging customers for costs of challenging commission decisions. Requires courts to presume commission decisions are unlawful when they deviate from judge recommendations. Mandates utility companies to track and report all legal challenge expenses.

Abolishes California's Power Exchange to restructure the state electricity market for increased competition. Establishes a five-member Electricity Oversight Board to supervise the Independent System Operator. Mandates a 20% rate reduction for residential and small commercial customers by April 2002. Requires utilities to recover transition costs through nonbypassable charges without increasing customer rates.

Exempts wildfire prevention projects from environmental review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act. Defines wildfire prevention projects to include fuel breaks, forest thinning, prescribed fire, and vegetation management. Allows local agencies to levy fees and charges to fund wildfire prevention programs.

Exempts collector vehicles at least 35 years old from all smog check requirements. Eliminates existing partial smog check exemptions for collector vehicles. Adds an $8 fee for transferring ownership of vehicles four years old or newer. Names the legislation Leno's Law.

Allocates 10% of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to support community air quality improvement programs. Provides grants and technical assistance to help disadvantaged communities reduce air pollution. Requires continuous funding for air monitoring, emissions reduction, and community participation initiatives.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing the Independent System Operator's grid management duties.

Prohibits utilities from charging ratepayers for political activities and promotional advertising costs. Requires utilities to clearly disclose whether shareholders or ratepayers fund their public messages. Mandates annual detailed expense reports from utilities to the Public Utilities Commission starting April 2026. Establishes fines up to $10,000 per violation for utilities that improperly charge ratepayers for prohibited costs.

Expands California's paint recovery program to require manufacturers to collect and recycle leftover paint products. Mandates paint manufacturers to develop educational materials about proper paint handling and recycling. Requires paint manufacturers to invest in apprenticeship programs for training future painters. Establishes multilingual outreach efforts to ensure all California communities can participate in paint recycling.

Requires public utilities to automatically enroll customers in service outage alert systems. Allows customers to opt out of non-emergency alerts while maintaining mandatory safety notifications. Mandates utilities to provide contact preference updates through email or phone. Requires utilities to include instructions for updating contact methods on customer bills.

Requires utilities to maximize grid capacity by using surplus interconnection points for renewable energy projects. Mandates the Independent System Operator to integrate surplus interconnections into long-term transmission planning. Requires load-serving entities to prioritize renewable energy development when allocating available grid capacity. Directs utilities to evaluate surplus interconnection options in their mandatory resource planning processes.

Establishes a new state office to coordinate California's clean energy manufacturing and supply chain development. Creates working groups to accelerate growth in battery, offshore wind, and building electrification industries. Requires state agencies to develop strategies for creating high-quality clean energy manufacturing jobs. Establishes a new fund to support clean energy supply chain and industrial development programs.

Establishes a Climate Superfund Program requiring major fossil fuel companies to pay for climate damages from 1990-2024. Requires companies responsible for over 1 billion metric tons of emissions to pay their proportional share of damages. Mandates that 40% of collected funds benefit disadvantaged communities impacted by climate change. Creates enforcement mechanisms including business license revocation for companies that fail to pay assessed costs.

Establishes a statewide permit system to regulate stormwater discharge from large commercial properties over 5 acres. Requires the state water board to publish draft regulations by December 31, 2028. Creates a model agreement for properties to partner with local municipalities on stormwater capture. Provides multiple compliance options including onsite and offsite stormwater capture systems.

Establishes a new community renewable energy program allowing customers to subscribe to local solar and storage projects. Requires at least 51 percent of program capacity to serve low-income customers. Limits individual facilities to 5 megawatts of generation and storage capacity. Caps total program capacity at 4 gigawatts or ends after 7 years, whichever comes first.