AB 218 — Oil and gas: trailer bill.

Summary

Existing law, commencing January 1, 2025, requires oil or gas production facilities or wells with a wellhead within a health protection zone, defined as an area within 3,200 feet of sensitive receptors, which include residences and health care facilities, to comply with specified health, safety, and environmental requirements, as provided. Existing law requires operators with a production facility or well with a wellhead in a health protection zone to submit a leak detection and response plan, as provided, to the Geologic Energy Management Division of the Department of Conservation by January 1, 2025, division approval or notice of deficiency by January 1, 2026, and implementation of the plan by January 1, 2027. Existing law requires every operator to submit a sensitive receptor inventory and map to the division by July 1, 2023. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2027, requires operators with a wellhead or other production facility or facilities in a health protection zone to provide certain information relating to leaks to the division, as provided. This bill would instead require the oil or gas production facilities and wells within a health protection zone to comply with those health, safety, and environmental requirements commencing July 1, 2026. The bill would instead require operators with a production facility or well with a wellhead in a health protection zone to submit a leak detection and response plan to the division by July 1, 2028, division approval or notice of deficiency by July 1, 2029, and implementation of the plan by July 1, 2030. The bill would instead require every operator to submit a sensitive receptor inventory and map to the division by July 1, 2025. The bill would require operators with a wellhead or other production facility or facilities in a health protection zone to provide certain information relating to leaks to the division, as provided, commencing July 1, 2030. Existing law requires the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, commencing July 1, 2023, and at 6-month intervals thereafter, to notify the applicable legislative budget and policy committees on progress for the leak detection and response plans, as provided. Existing law requires the division, on or before July 1, 2027, to provide a legislative report to the applicable budget and policy committees regarding the implementation of health protection zones, as provided. This bill would instead require the supervisor to notify those committees on the progress for the leak protection and response plans commencing July 1, 2026. The bill would instead require the division to provide the legislative report on or before July 1, 2030. Existing law authorizes the division, the State Air Resources Board, and the State Water Resources Control Board to prescribe, adopt, and enforce emergency regulations to implement, administer, and enforce its duties relating to health protection zones and authorizes those emergency regulations to remain in effect for 2 years from adoption. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board, relevant local air districts, the State Water Resources Control Board, and relevant local water quality control boards to enter into memoranda of understanding with the division to clearly delineate respective responsibilities for implementing and enforcing health protection zones and to execute those memoranda of understanding by June 1, 2023. This bill would instead authorize the emergency regulations to remain in effect for 2 years from adoption or until July 1, 2026, whichever date is later. The bill would instead require those memoranda of understanding to be executed by June 1, 2025. Existing law requires the Department of Conservation, on or before June 15 of each year, to make an estimate of the amount of money that will be required to carry out specified laws related to oil and gas conservation, as provided. Existing law requires, by June 15 each year, the department to determine the rate, or rates, for charges on operators that will produce the sums necessary to be raised to cover that estimate. Existing law provides penalties for any person who fails to pay an oil and gas assessment within the time required, as provided. This bill would, if the department determines between June 15, 2024, and March 1, 2025, that the estimate is insufficient for the current fiscal year, authorize the department to assess and levy a supplemental assessment on oil and gas production to ensure funds are available for the full amount of the adjusted cost estimate, as provided. The bill would prohibit the department from issuing this supplemental assessment after March 1, 2025. The bill would apply the same penalties to delinquent charges under a supplemental assessment. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2027, and would authorize the department to continue to pursue the collection of unpaid supplemental assessments, penalties, and interest after these provisions are repealed. Existing law requires specified funds collected from oil and gas operators to be deposited to the credit of the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund, to be used for, among other things, the State Water Resources Control Board and the regional water quality control boards for their activities related to oil and gas operations that may affect water resources. This bill would appropriate $2,646,000 from the Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Administrative Fund for the 2024–25 fiscal year to the State Water Resources Control Board to support water quality projects implementing provisions related to the above-described health protection zones, as provided. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 09/30/24 - Chaptered Current pdf September 30, 2024
• Enrolled 09/05/24 - Enrolled pdf September 05, 2024
• Amended 08/27/24 - Amended Senate pdf August 27, 2024
• Amended 02/01/23 - Amended Assembly pdf February 01, 2023
• Introduced 01/09/23 - Introduced pdf January 09, 2023
• AB218 View text html

Action History

1. September 30, 2024

   Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 1002, Statutes of 2024.

2. September 30, 2024

   Approved by the Governor.

3. September 12, 2024

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.

4. August 31, 2024

   Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 58. Noes 17.).

5. August 31, 2024

   In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

6. August 31, 2024

   Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 25. Noes 8.).

7. August 30, 2024

   Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

8. August 29, 2024

   From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 4.) (August 29).

9. August 28, 2024

   Joint Rules 61 and 62(a) suspended. (Ayes 31. Noes 8.)

10. August 27, 2024

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. & F.R.

11. August 27, 2024

    Senate rules suspended (Ayes 31. Noes 9.)

12. April 12, 2023

    Referred to Com. on B. & F.R.

13. March 23, 2023

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

14. March 23, 2023

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 60. Noes 14. Page 887.)

15. March 21, 2023

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

16. March 20, 2023

    Ordered to second reading.

17. March 20, 2023

    Withdrawn from committee.

18. March 20, 2023

    Assembly Rule 96 suspended. (Ayes 61. Noes 17. Page 732.)

19. February 02, 2023

    Re-referred to Com. on BUDGET.

20. February 01, 2023

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

21. January 26, 2023

    Referred to Com. on BUDGET.

22. January 10, 2023

    From printer. May be heard in committee February 9.

23. January 09, 2023

    Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

• Committee on Budget · Primary

Votes

Subjects