California 2015-2016 Regular Session Status: Passed Assembly

AB 356 — Oil and gas: groundwater monitoring.

Last action — Died on inactive file.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

(1) Existing law requires the State Oil and Gas Supervisor to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities attendant to oil and gas production. Existing law authorizes the supervisor to require a well operator to implement a monitoring program, designed to detect releases to the soil and water, for aboveground oil production tanks and facilities. Under existing law, a person who fails to comply with specified requirements relating to the regulation of oil or gas operation is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would additionally authorize the supervisor to require a well operator to implement a monitoring program for belowground oil production tanks and facilities, and disposal and injection wells. Because a failure to comply with this requirement would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulates certain wells as Class II wells. Under existing federal law, the authority to regulate Class II wells in California is delegated to the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources. Under existing regulations, a well operator is required to obtain approval from the supervisor or a district deputy for a subsurface injection or disposal project, including Class II wells, or any change in a project, as provided. This bill would require the division to annually review underground injection or disposal projects approved by the division that use Class II wells. The bill would require the operator of the project, as a part of its application or the annual review process, to submit to the State Water Resources Control Board or appropriate regional water quality control board for its review and concurrence a groundwater monitoring plan containing certain information, including, among other things, a schedule for monitoring and reporting groundwater quality data, as provided. The bill would authorize the state board or appropriate regional water quality control board to periodically require the modification of the plan to reflect changing conditions. The bill would require the data be submitted to the state board in an electronic format compatible with the state board's geotracker database. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing federal law prohibits certain well activities that affect underground sources of drinking water unless those sources are located in an exempted aquifer. Existing federal law authorizes a state delegated with the responsibility of regulating Class II wells to propose that an aquifer or a portion of an aquifer be an exempted aquifer and authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency to approve the proposal if the aquifer or a portion of the aquifer meets certain criteria. This bill would require the division, prior to proposing to the United States Environmental Protection Agency an aquifer for exemption, to hold a public hearing on the proposal and to submit the proposal to the state board for review and written concurrence. The bill would authorize the state board to concur with the proposal if certain conditions are met. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Died on inactive file.

  2. Ordered to inactive file at the request of Assembly Member Williams.

  3. Reconsideration granted. (Page 1972.)

  4. Motion to reconsider made by Assembly Member Williams.

  5. Read third time. Refused passage. (Ayes 28. Noes 33. Page 1927.).

  6. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  7. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

  8. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 6.) (May 28).

  9. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  10. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  11. Read second time and amended.

  12. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 2.) (April 27).

  13. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

  14. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on NAT. RES. Read second time and amended.

  15. Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

  16. From printer. May be heard in committee March 20.

  17. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

  • Nazarian · Cosponsor
  • Williams · Primary
  • Mark Stone · Cosponsor

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 2 co-sponsors · 119 not signed on · 8 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • Williams

Co-sponsors (2)

Not signed on (119)

119 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 119 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

AB 356 WILLIAMS Assembly Third Reading

Failed 28 Yea · 33 Nay · 19 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 2629015
Democratic 2002
Republican 0402
Total 2833019
% of votes cast 35%41%0%24%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Achadjian — Nay
Alejo — Not Voting
Bloom — Yea
Brough — Nay
Brown — Nay
Kim — Nay
Levine — Yea
Low — Not Voting
Maienschein — Nay
Mathis — Nay
Mullin — Yea
Perea — Nay
Quirk — Nay
Steinorth — Nay
Thurmond — Yea
Wagner — Nay
Weber — Not Voting
Wood — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Burke — Yea
Campos — Yea
Chau — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Lopez — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Chu — Yea
Dababneh — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Williams — Yea
Frazier — Nay
Salas — Nay
Chang — Nay
Gray — Nay
Gonzalez — Not Voting
Harper — Nay
Holden — Not Voting
Chávez — Nay
Bonilla — Not Voting
Baker — Not Voting
Bigelow — Nay
Cooley — Nay
Cooper — Not Voting
Daly — Nay
Linder — Nay
Mayes — Nay
Medina — Not Voting
Melendez — Nay
O'Donnell — Not Voting
Obernolte — Nay
Olsen — Nay
Ridley-Thomas — Nay
Rodriguez — Not Voting
Ting — Yea
Waldron — Nay
Wilk — Nay
Gordon — Yea
Hadley — Not Voting
Beth Gaines — Nay
Cristina Garcia — Not Voting
Eduardo Garcia — Not Voting
Mark Stone — Yea
Roger Hernández — Not Voting
Travis Allen — Nay
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Not Voting
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Not Voting
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Not Voting
Gallagher, James Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Not Voting
Lackey, Tom Republican Nay
Patterson, Joe Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 11 Yea · 6 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 2000
Unaffiliated 9400
Republican 0200
Total 11600
% of votes cast 65%35%0%0%
How each member voted (17)
Member Party Vote
Eggman — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Chang — Nay
Daly — Nay
Holden — Yea
Bigelow — Nay
Quirk — Yea
Wagner — Nay
Weber — Yea
Wood — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety environment labor
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 356 do?
(1) Existing law requires the State Oil and Gas Supervisor to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of wells and the operation, maintenance, and removal or abandonment of tanks and facilities attendant to oil and gas production. Existing law authorizes the supervisor to require a well operator to implement a monitoring program, designed to detect releases to the soil and water, for aboveground oil production tanks and facilities. Under existing law, a person who fails to comply with specified requirements relating to the regulation of oil or gas operation is guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill would additionally authorize the supervisor to require a well operator to implement a monitoring program for belowground oil production tanks and facilities, and disposal and injection wells. Because a failure to comply with this requirement would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The federal Safe Drinking Water Act regulates certain wells as Class II wells. Under existing federal law, the authority to regulate Class II wells in California is delegated to the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources. Under existing regulations, a well operator is required to obtain approval from the supervisor or a district deputy for a subsurface injection or disposal project, including Class II wells, or any change in a project, as provided. This bill would require the division to annually review underground injection or disposal projects approved by the division that use Class II wells. The bill would require the operator of the project, as a part of its application or the annual review process, to submit to the State Water Resources Control Board or appropriate regional water quality control board for its review and concurrence a groundwater monitoring plan containing certain information, including, among other things, a schedule for monitoring and reporting groundwater quality data, as provided. The bill would authorize the state board or appropriate regional water quality control board to periodically require the modification of the plan to reflect changing conditions. The bill would require the data be submitted to the state board in an electronic format compatible with the state board's geotracker database. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing federal law prohibits certain well activities that affect underground sources of drinking water unless those sources are located in an exempted aquifer. Existing federal law authorizes a state delegated with the responsibility of regulating Class II wells to propose that an aquifer or a portion of an aquifer be an exempted aquifer and authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency to approve the proposal if the aquifer or a portion of the aquifer meets certain criteria. This bill would require the division, prior to proposing to the United States Environmental Protection Agency an aquifer for exemption, to hold a public hearing on the proposal and to submit the proposal to the state board for review and written concurrence. The bill would authorize the state board to concur with the proposal if certain conditions are met. (4) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Who sponsors AB 356?
AB 356 is sponsored by Nazarian, Williams, and Mark Stone.
What is the current status of AB 356?
This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 356?
Track AB 356 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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