An act to amend Sections 13101, 13102, 13103, and 65042 of the Government Code, add Section 25302.1 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy.
AB 472 would expand California’s infrastructure planning framework to explicitly include port infrastructure needed for offshore wind energy development. It amends the definition of “infrastructure” in the California Infrastructure Planning Act so that port facilities supporting offshore wind—such as construction, staging, manufacturing, final assembly, and long-term operations and maintenance sites—are treated as part of the state’s infrastructure planning process.
The bill also requires the Governor, beginning with the 2027-28 fiscal year and contingent on an appropriation, to include an assessment of offshore wind port funding needs in the annual five-year infrastructure plan. In addition, it requires the Energy Commission, starting with the 2027 edition of the integrated energy policy report and each report thereafter, to include a similar assessment of funding needs for offshore wind port infrastructure. Both assessments must identify potential federal, state, local, and private funding sources, including general obligation bonds, and must be developed in consultation with several state agencies and workforce entities.
AB 472 would modify Sections 13101, 13102, 13103, and 65042 of the Government Code and add Section 25302.1 to the Public Resources Code. Its practical effect is to embed offshore wind port planning into two major state planning documents: the Governor’s five-year infrastructure plan and the Energy Commission’s integrated energy policy report. The bill does not itself appropriate funds, but it creates a recurring planning and assessment requirement that could shape future budget requests, bond funding, and port investment decisions for California seaports and related public and private stakeholders involved in offshore wind development.
The available voting history suggests strong support and little opposition. The bill passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee 18-0 and the Assembly Appropriations Committee 14-0, both on do-pass motions and with recommendations to the consent calendar. The bill’s findings frame offshore wind port infrastructure as a necessary component of California’s clean energy transition, and the committee record provided does not show any recorded dissent or controversy.
The main policy issue is not whether offshore wind port infrastructure should be planned for, but how the state should identify and finance it. The bill ties planning to future appropriations and requires agencies to identify funding opportunities from multiple sources, including bonds and private capital, which reflects concern about the scale of needed investment. The text also emphasizes that the new statewide assessments are supplemental and not a substitute for local port-specific analyses, suggesting sensitivity to local port conditions, competing uses, and the need to avoid overriding existing port planning processes. No specific opposition is reflected in the provided votes or transcripts.