California Air Resources Board

Summary

Among other things, would have prohibited the operation of an autonomous vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more on public roads for testing purposes, transporting goods, or transporting passengers without a human safety operator physically present in the autonomous vehicle at the time of operation. This bill would have also  required the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), by January 1, 2030, or 5 years after commencement of testing, whichever occurs later, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature evaluating the performance of autonomous vehicle technology and its impact on public safety and employment in the transportation sector for autonomous vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more. CARB was in a consultation role regarding impacts to the Scoping Plan and being available to DMV for needed research.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2286 without my signature.

This bill would prohibit the operation of autonomous vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or more on public roads for testing, transporting goods, or carrying passengers without a human safety operator physically present in the vehicle. In my veto of a nearly identical bill last year, I expressed that my Administration remains committed to working with the author, sponsors, and stakeholders in furthering our efforts to meet the needs of traffic safety, worker protections, and jobs as this evolving technology progresses in California.

As we continue to move forward, it is important to note that 35 jurisdictions -- including Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Washington, and the District of Columbia - have already authorized the testing of heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. California remains the only state to actively prohibit these vehicles.

To this end, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which has regulated autonomous vehicles over the last decade pursuant to authority granted to it by the Legislature, has issued three sets of regulations that create a framework allowing innovation, while also protecting public safety. A new set of draft regulations, currently open for public input until October 14, 2024, offers the nation's most comprehensive standards for heavy-duty autonomous vehicles. These draft regulations propose strict guidelines for heavy-duty AV operations, including limiting operations to roads with speed limits of 50 miles per hour or higher and excluding certain uses, such as transporting passengers or hazardous materials. They also require a phased permitting process to ensure a gradual transition to driverless operations, along with specific testing periods, mileage requirements, and clear definitions of where and how these vehicles can operate. Finally, these regulations also require more robust reporting from companies testing or deploying AVs, and give DMV additional enforcement tools to place restrictions on permits to protect public safety.

Recognizing that our workforce is the foundation of our economic success, California leads the nation with some of the strongest worker protection laws. Our state also is renowned globally as a leader in technological innovation. We reject that one aim must yield to the other, and our success disproves this false binary. But advancing both priorities requires creativity, collaboration, and a willingness to work together to identify pragmatic solutions. Toward that end, my office offered multiple rounds of suggested amendments, which were unfortunately not accepted. While I cannot sign this legislation in its current form, my Administration stands ready to work with the legislature and stakeholders toward progress on this issue.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

View Governor’s veto message here

Would have defined pyrolysis the thermal decomposition of material at elevated temperatures in the absence or near absence of oxygen and required California’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, no later than January 1, 2026, to amend the Short-lived Climate Pollutants Strategy regulations to include, as a recovered organic waste product attributable to a local jurisdiction’s procurement target, pipeline biomethane converted exclusively from organic waste. Ordered to the inactive file on the Senate floor.

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Summary 

Updates AB 1757 (C. Garcia, Chapter 341, Statutes of 2022) by removing language that made natural and working lands emissions reduction projects and actions that receive state funding ineligible to generate credits under a market-based compliance mechanism and instead requires CARB to ensure that all greenhouse gas emissions reductions and removals used for any market-based compliance mechanism are in addition to any reductions and removals that would otherwise occur.

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Summary 

Would have required CARB by December 31, 2025, to include in the SB 901 (Dodd, 2018) report, a methodology to quantify GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emissions, including black carbon from wildfire, pile burning, and forest management activities and a list of the data needed to use the methodology. This bill also would have established a Forest Waste Biomass Utilization Program to be administered by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation, required the California Natural Resources Agency to facilitate the inclusion of recommendations for forest biomass waste utilization in relevant State climate adaptation plans, and required the California Energy Commission to report on innovative bioenergy technologies that utilize forest biomass waste. This bill was similar to AB 2878 (Aguiar-Curry, 2022).  Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. 

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Summary 

Extends the validity of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments' (SACOG) Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) for approximately two years, to December 31, 2025, for most purposes, except for projects without federal discretionary funding applying for the Solution for Congested Corridors Program and other specified State programs that require consistency with an SCS. Also requires SACOG to include an equity component in its SCS and by July 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter, to report on the regional implementation of its most recently adopted SCS in a publicly available format on its internet website, as specified.

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Summary

Would have required CARB by December 31, 2025, to include in the SB 901 report, which assesses GHG emissions associated with wildfire and forest management activities, a methodology to quantify GHG and short-lived climate pollutant emissions, including black carbon from wildfire, pile burning, and forest management activities and a list of the data needed to use the methodology. This bill would have also established a Forest Waste Biomass Utilization Program to be administered by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation, would have required the California Natural Resources Agency to facilitate the inclusion of recommendations for forest biomass waste utilization in relevant State climate adaptation plans, and would have required the California Energy Commission to report on innovative bioenergy technologies that utilize forest biomass waste. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Allows Community Choice Aggregators to access the California Public Utilities Commission's Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT) program.

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Summary

Would have requested that the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) undertake and within 12 months of entering into a contract, submit a report to the Legislature that provides an implementation strategy to achieve the State's organic waste, and related climate change and air quality mandates, goals, and targets. The bill would have required the implementation strategy to include recommendations on policy and funding support for the beneficial reuse of organic waste. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have amended the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act of 1967 (Bagley-Keene) to require State bodies to provide all writings and materials in connection with a noticed meeting with the currently required 10-day notice.  Additional associated writings and materials to be considered at the meeting and provided in advance of the meeting to members of the State body would have been required to be posted on the State body’s website by no later than the first business day following the dissemination to State body members or at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, whichever is earlier.  Other associated writings and materials provided by another State body, or related to legislation and changing market conditions, and disseminated to State body members after the 48-hour period would have been required to be posted to the State body’s website by the first business day after dissemination, but prior to the State body’s meeting.  If a written request is made for such additional documents, then they would have been required to be provided immediately to the requestor.  Assembly Bill 2028 would also have required the State body to allow public testimony on any listed agenda item.  The bill would have exempted documents that are discussed in closed sessions.  Was ordered to the Senate inactive file by unanimous consent.

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Summary

Would have required CARB to convene a working group with a specified membership for the purposes of reviewing the state of air pollution control technologies, operational or maintenance standards, and work practices that may be applied to wine fermentation tanks, and the costs and benefits of those technologies, standards, and practices.  The bill would have required local air districts, when adopting a rule or issuing a permit requiring air pollution control technology to be installed on wine fermentation tanks, to include specified findings as part of that action.  The bill would have required CARB to allocate $1 million, available upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the University of California Davis for a study that would make recommendations on options to address air emissions from wine fermentation tanks.  Was not heard in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.

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