California Air Resources Board

Urgency bill enacting various policies related to electrical corporations, including authorizing public financing and ownership of electric transmission infrastructure; addressing wildfire mitigation spending and financing; liability of wildfire property claims; permitting of clean energy projects; transparency of electrical corporations’ return on equity; enforcement of timeliness of energization projects; prohibitions on large electrical corporations from including in their equity rate base an additional $6 billion of wildfire mitigation capital expenditures.

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Would have specified that only carbon dioxide removal (CDR) that meets specified requirements of the bill can be used for meeting or tracking progress for the net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) cement sector goal (SB 596), the overall net zero GHG goal (AB 1279), and the State operations net zero GHG goal (SB 1203), for purposes of counterbalancing the State's or an entity's remaining greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would have set these requirements as: using a form of carbon sequestration with substantially equivalent duration to the longevity of the form of storage from which the GHG was released and being qualified CDR, as defined. The bill would have defined qualified CDR as not being used for enhanced oil recovery, meeting certain standards of SB 905, and if using biomass, using only specified waste-based biomass. The bill would have specified it does not restrict what can be used as an offset credit in the Cap-and-Trade program and does not restrict the types of voluntary carbon offsets or other tradeable instruments that may be used to meet or report on the progress of voluntary pledges to achieve greenhouse gas reductions. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required CARB's executive officer to review a local air district’s submitted proposed permit for a Title V facility and, if the executive officer determines that the permit does not comply with the federal Clean Air Act or State law governing air pollution, to object to the issuance of that permit. The bill would have prohibited the local air district from finalizing the proposed permit without revising it to the satisfaction of CARB’s executive officer. The bill also would have established a public petition process regarding the proposed Title V permit, as specified.

The bill would have required an applicant to submit a technical feasibility analysis to the local air district as part of its permit renewal application for a Title V facility if its current operating permit includes equipment or control apparatus that meets certain criteria. The bill would have required a local air district to require best available retrofit control technology to be applied at each piece of equipment or source category identified in the technical feasibility analysis.

The bill would have revised CARB's precertification program, including requiring CARB to update criteria and guidelines for precertification at least once every eight years. The bill would have authorized the precertification program to include the identification of equipment, controls, fuels, and processes, as specified.

The bill would have revised requirements for a local air district’s expedited permit system. The bill, among other things, would have required CARB to issue determinations for best available control technology and best available retrofit control technology, and to establish best available control technology for toxic air contaminants. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have clarified that electric water heaters and appliances can be installed outside of mobile homes and other related provisions. This bill was sponsored by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to alleviate opinions from the Department of Housing and Community Development on the installation of these appliances. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required CARB to adopt regulations or utilize existing programs and regulations to ensure the State achieves carbon dioxide removals equivalent to at least 100% of GHG emissions by 2045. The bill would have required CARB to only certify carbon dioxide removal processes that meet specified requirements, including that they be consistent with statutory requirements for geologic storage projects. Would have required CARB to conduct a community engagement process, as specified, before adopting a regulation pursuant to the bill. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Requires CARB to establish rules and processes for certifying carbon dioxide removal processes used to create negative emissions credits. The bill also requires CARB by December 31, 2027, to adopt a regulation requiring emitting entities to purchase negative emissions credits equal to an increasing portion of their greenhouse gas emissions, as specified. Was not heard by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.

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Summary

Requires every retail supplier of electricity to annually report information concerning electricity supply used to serve load to the California Energy Commission (CEC), including the retail supplier’s sources of electricity and the emissions of greenhouse gases associated with those sources of electricity. The bill also requires the CEC to share the information reported by retail sellers with the California Public Utilities Commission, CARB, and the California Independent System Operator, to the extent needed, and to annually publish on its internet website an aggregated summary of the data reported by each retail supplier.

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Summary

Would have revised the SB 100 (De León, Chapter 312, Statutes of 2018) policy to establish a goal that 100 percent of electrical load be supplied by eligible clean energy resources, as defined. The bill would have established the California 24/7 Clean Energy Standard Program, that would phase in clean energy requirements through 2035. The bill would have required the California Energy Commission (CEC), in consultation with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California balancing authorities, to establish compliance periods and subperiods that meet certain criteria. The bill would have required CPUC to establish for each retail seller, and CEC for each local publicly owned electric utility, clean energy procurement requirements for each compliance period and subperiod, as provided. Was not heard in the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee.

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Summary

Would have required the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission to develop and adopt a Connected Network Plan, develop a comprehensive, standardized regional transit mapping and wayfinding system, develop an implementation and maintenance strategy and funding plan, and establish open data standards, as specified. The bill would have required the region’s transit agencies, as defined, to comply with those established regional transit mapping and wayfinding system, implementation and maintenance strategy and funding plan, and open data standards, as provided. Held on Suspense in Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary 

Requires the Department of General Services (DGS), in consultation with CARB, by July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter to publish a greenhouse gas inventory of State agencies for the prior calendar year. The bill also requires DGS to develop and publish a plan of required actions and investments for achieving net zero State agency emissions by 2035 and beginning 2028 and biennially thereafter, publish an updated plan including actions and investments. The bill requires DGS to ensure the required actions and investments are incorporated into the sustainability roadmaps of all State agencies. Finally, the bill requires DGS to report to the Legislature on progress beginning December 31, 2027, and biennially thereafter, and makes agency actions contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature.

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