Bill > AB531

This bill expands the types of facilities that can be certified as environmental leadership development projects by the California Energy Commission to include geothermal powerplants and multi-unit geothermal powerplant projects located on a single site. Currently, the law allows certification for various renewable energy projects like solar, wind, and thermal energy facilities with specific capacity requirements. The bill adds a new category (paragraph 7) to the existing definition of "facility" to explicitly include geothermal powerplants, which will make these projects eligible for streamlined environmental review processes under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The bill also includes a technical provision that ensures coordination with another potential legislative amendment (SB 254) to avoid conflicting changes to the same section of the Public Resources Code. By adding geothermal projects to the list of eligible facilities, the bill aims to facilitate and expedite the development of geothermal energy infrastructure in California, supporting the state's renewable energy goals and potentially reducing regulatory barriers for such projects.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB531