California Air Resources Board

Would have required the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), on or before July 1, 2028, and in cooperation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Department of Public Health, and CARB, to assess the health costs and impacts of high-severity wildfire smoke using existing wildfire smoke and health data. The bill would have also required the Task Force to develop a model to estimate the health benefits of achieving the goals identified in the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan and recommend how the Action Plan can increase its health benefits. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have used up to $250,000,000 from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) for nature-based climate solutions to meet goals set in 2024 by the Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and CARB. Of that money, $150,000,000 would go to CNRA to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in soils and biomass. $100,000,000 would have been used for nature-based climate solutions, with lawmakers deciding on the exact usages. A separate $150,000,000 from GGRF would have been used to pay for sustainable farming practices and nature-based climate solutions. If there were not enough funds available in the GGRF to meet the above requirements, funds must be given out proportionally. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required the director of CalRecycle to establish a working group to study alternative methods of methane reduction. The working group would have been required to submit its findings and recommendations to the director by January 1, 2029. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have required the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving certain goals, make specified findings and recommendations, and coordinate specified scenario modeling of alternative manure management practices. The bill would have authorized CARB to incorporate the task force's findings and recommendations into its Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCP) Reduction Strategy, the 2027 Scoping Plan, and other planning documents as appropriate. The bill also would have required CDFA to convene relevant government agencies to create a process for approving new projects that manage livestock and dairy manure. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Would have established the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program, to be administered by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA). Would have required CNRA to facilitate the process of identifying eligible parks, develop guidelines for soliciting proposals, and specify requirements for each park.

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Governor’s Veto Message

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 1666 without my signature.

This bill would establish the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program, to be administered by the Natural Resources Agency, to identify biomass innovation parks.

I thank the author for his commitment to advancing the use of wood biomass to improve forest health and build wildfire resilience. In partnership with the Legislature, my administration allocated $50 million from the Climate Bond to the Department of Conservation to develop a program to fund the development of large-scale biomass facilities and identify opportunities to accelerate the utilization of wood waste biomass.

The program proposed in this measure would require additional resources not included in this year's budget. With significant fiscal pressures and the federal government's hostile economic policies, it is vital that we remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications that are not included in the budget.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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Requires all State agencies, including their departments, boards, offices, commissions, and conservancies, to consider the 30x30 goal when adopting, revising, or establishing plans, policies, or regulations, and shall ensure, to the extent feasible, that the plan, policy, or regulation is not inconsistent with the 30x30 goal. Was not heard in the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization.

Would have requiredCARB, on or before January 1, 2028, to publish on its website an assessment of the life-cycle emissions from alternative uses of forest and agricultural biomass residues. The bill also would have required CARB, on or before January 1, 2028, to complete a comprehensive strategy to support beneficial carbon removal products generated from agricultural or forest biomass resources, including, but not limited to, biochar, as specified. This bill also would have required the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to require, as feasible, for State-funded forest health projects, a disposal plan describing how much biomass residue should be physically removed versus burned by prescribed burn. The bill also would have required the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to investigate the use of biomass fuel made from biomass residues, as specified.

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Governor’s Veto Message:

To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 88 without my signature.

This bill would require the California Air Resources Board to develop specified methods and protocols to quantify the avoided emissions and beneficial uses of forest and agricultural biomass. This bill also would direct the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to require forest health projects to include a resource disposal component, and the California Energy Commission to include biomass-derived low- and negative-carbon fuels in certain reports.

Throughout my Administration, I have been supportive of advancing methods and practices to sustainably address the growing amount of woody biomass waste in the state, primarily due to the risk it presents of exacerbating catastrophic wildfires. This is why my Administration, for years, has recommended and acted on strategies to address this challenge and risk.

While I applaud the authors' desire to further this work, most of the requirements in this bill are duplicative of existing efforts. At the same time, other provisions would trigger new and substantial costs at each of the affected agencies not accounted for in the 2025 Budget Act. In partnership with the Legislature this year, my Administration has enacted a balanced budget that recognizes the challenging fiscal landscape our state faces while maintaining our commitment to working families and our most vulnerable communities. With significant fiscal pressures and the federal government's hostile economic policies, it is vital that we remain disciplined when considering bills with significant fiscal implications that are not included in the budget, such as this measure.

For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.

Sincerely,

Gavin Newsom

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Exempts an agricultural crop preparation service (ACPS) from the Department of Recycling and Resource Recovery’s (CalRecycle) regulations for the Edible Food Rescue Program for Commercial Edible Food Generators (CCR Tit.14, Div. 7, Chap. 12, Art. 10) promulgated under the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Strategy if the ACPS demonstrates to CalRecycle, in a form and manner developed by CalRecycle, that it has not disposed of organic waste in a landfill on or after January 1, 2016.

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Requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to oversee a sustainable agriculture program to provide research, technical assistance, and incentive grants to promote agricultural practices that support climate resilience for farms and ranches and the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and biodiversity. The bill also renames the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming to the Scientific Advisory Panel on Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture (Panel) for the purpose of providing advice to the CDFA Secretary on the implementation of research, incentive, and technical assistance grant programs for sustainable agriculture. This bill also expands the Panel from nine members to eleven members to add members of the public that represent scientific expertise in sustainable agriculture and members of state agencies that represent expertise in programs and policies related to agriculture.

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Would have required a lead agency to incorporate appropriate wildlife passage features into a transportation infrastructure project in a connectivity area, as specified, but would exempt a project on the state highway system from this requirement if California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is the lead agency. The bill would have authorized a lead agency to use compensatory mitigation credits to satisfy this requirement, as specified. Held on suspense in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

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