An act to add Section 39617.2 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to air pollution, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.
Summary
SB 2 would invalidate specified amendments to California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulations adopted by the State Air Resources Board on November 8, 2024, or any substantially similar rewrite adopted in response to the Office of Administrative Law’s disapproval. The bill adds a new Health and Safety Code section stating that the challenged final regulation order is void, effectively preventing those LCFS amendments from taking effect through state law.
The measure is written as an urgency statute, meaning it would take effect immediately if enacted. Its stated purpose is to provide immediate relief from higher gasoline prices, with the bill’s findings asserting that the LCFS amendments would raise the cost of gasoline by an estimated 65 to 85 cents per gallon and worsen California’s affordability crisis.
Impact
SB 2 would directly affect state air quality and climate policy by overriding a specific set of Air Resources Board regulatory amendments tied to the LCFS program. It would not broadly repeal the LCFS itself, but it would nullify the enumerated regulatory changes and any later rewritten version adopted in response to the cited OAL disapproval, thereby constraining the board’s ability to implement those amendments under the challenged rulemaking. The bill would primarily affect the State Air Resources Board, fuel suppliers, and potentially consumers through the pricing and compliance effects associated with the LCFS.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have strong support among its authors and coauthors, who frame it as a consumer-affordability and gas-price relief measure. The urgency language and committee action suggest the bill was treated as a high-priority response to rising fuel costs. At the same time, the committee vote history indicates the measure faced resistance, with a failed passage vote followed by reconsideration and a later narrow do-pass vote, reflecting a divided view of the bill’s merits.
Contention
The central point of contention is whether the LCFS amendments are necessary climate-policy updates or an excessive regulatory burden that would significantly increase gasoline prices. Supporters argue the amendments would worsen affordability and harm the economy, while opponents likely view the bill as undermining greenhouse-gas reduction efforts and the state’s broader climate goals. The dispute also implicates the balance of power between the Legislature and the Air Resources Board, since SB 2 would use statute to void a specific regulatory action.
An act to amend Sections 5361, 5971, 5975, 5976.5, 5977, 5977.1, 5977.3, 5977.4, 5978.1, 5979, 5982, 5983, and 5985 of, and to add Section 5988 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health.
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