Transcript Highlights:

• And you'll see most of the groundwater still used in the state is along that I-65 corridor.
• And you'll see most of the groundwater still used in the state is along that I-65 corridor.
• And you'll see most of the groundwater still used in the state is along that I-65 corridor.
• the baseline knowledge needed to operate a facility.
• the baseline knowledge needed to operate a facility.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call, adoption of the minutes, and brief remarks, including birthday recognition for Representative Maseroni and a moment of reflection for a soldier who died during training at Fort Knox. The committee then heard a presentation from Tony Hatton, commissioner of the Department for Environmental Protection and acting director of the Kentucky Division of Water, with Amanda Lefer, deputy commissioner, on the state’s water and wastewater programs and planning. Hatton described Kentucky’s water resources and the Division of Water’s responsibilities, including watershed and nonpoint source work, KPDES discharge permitting, PFAS response, engineering review of water infrastructure, inspections, public outreach, and sampling. He said Kentucky has 428 public water systems, 263 water treatment plants, about 1.9 million service connections, and nearly 97% of the population has access to municipally treated water. He also noted that the state has 43 systems receiving awards for EPA areawide optimization and emphasized operator training, regionalization, and use of GIS mapping and Kentucky Infrastructure Authority data to support planning and funding decisions. Members raised concerns about aging infrastructure, water loss, staffing shortages, and wastewater problems in local systems. Representative Blandon described severe failures in a city system, including major water loss and sewer backups, and asked whether the state could intervene; Hatton said the division inspects treatment facilities and provides compliance assistance but is not authorized to manage delivery systems, though third-party help and emergency funding can be used in some cases. Senator Smith and others shared similar experiences with line loss and system failures, while Hatton pointed to regionalization and funding support as the main tools available. The discussion also highlighted PFAS as an emerging issue, with Hatton saying the department is working with systems to meet anticipated federal requirements by 2029.

Transcript Highlights:

• Proposition 4 also provides a significant amount of money for groundwater sustainable groundwater management
• , working specifically on groundwater recharge, incentivizing that.
• Some of that is being used for groundwater recharge. Not all of that.
• So under the Prop 4 spending plan, I'm going to ask you about groundwater.
• It can result from desalination, brackish groundwater, and seawater.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on water and coastal resilience heard an overview of the governor’s Proposition 4 spending plan, with presentations from the Department of Finance, the State Water Resources Control Board, the Department of Water Resources, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, and later coastal agencies. Members discussed the water chapter’s major allocations for drinking water and wastewater, recycled water, tribal water infrastructure, groundwater recharge and SGMA implementation, dam safety, flood protection, integrated regional water management, Salton Sea projects, and water data/stream gauges. The LAO noted that many programs are established and have clear funding processes, but some newer or less-defined programs may warrant more detailed future budget requests and reporting. No votes were taken on the agenda items. Members raised concerns about groundwater subsidence, water deliveries from the Delta, the pace of water storage investments, instream flows, and whether bond dollars were being used to backfill General Fund reductions. Administration witnesses said groundwater recharge spending is being paced because prior years already funded substantial SGMA work, that Delta operations are governed by water quality, salinity, and species requirements, and that Proposition 1 storage projects have moved slowly because they are locally led and require permitting and financing. The Water Board and DWR said they use public needs assessments, annual plans, and existing grant processes to prioritize projects, and Finance said some General Fund programs were shifted to Proposition 4 to help balance the budget. Members also asked for clearer public tracking of bond spending and more concise future reporting. In the coastal resilience portion, the Ocean Protection Council and Coastal Conservancy described Proposition 4 funding for sea level rise adaptation, coastal flood management, habitat restoration, public access, and San Francisco Bay projects, with a multi-year rollout based on project readiness and recent large state investments. The Conservancy said it would use its existing rolling grant process, while OPC said its sea level rise grants would build on existing programs and new technical assistance. The Department of Fish and Wildlife explained its proposed use of bond funds for climate-ready fisheries, hatchery modernization, salmon monitoring, whale- and turtle-safe fishing gear, and a specific hatchery operations request tied to the Friant settlement. The LAO said the coastal chapter’s proposed first-year spending is relatively modest but generally reasonable given staffing and project readiness, while members emphasized oversight, transparency, and coordination across agencies and jurisdictions.

Transcript Highlights:

• To groundwater management plans when a desired future condition is contested.
• And last but not least, groundwater deposits in the Texas Water Trust.
• Groundwater quantity is regulated at the local level in Texas through groundwater conservation districts
• TCEQ provides limited support and oversight for the regulation of groundwater quantity.
• I would like to conduct a study so that we can establish a baseline.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• available groundwater.
• But in terms of groundwater management in Texas, it all starts with groundwater conservation districts
• and groundwater ownership.
• available groundwater, there's a certain amount of groundwater that could be permitted.
• manage groundwater.

Keywords: 1184, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So we are establishing a baseline here to ensure transparency and promote trust with these AI platforms
• allowances to a waste-to-energy facility in the second compliance period after determining the facility's baseline
• The facility must receive 93% of its baseline emissions for emissions year 2027, and that percentage
• are already dependent on water sources increasingly being impacted by climate change, including groundwater
• Thank you. ...dependent on water sources increasingly being impacted by climate change, including groundwater

Bills: HB2338, HB2367, HB2426, HB2606

Keywords: weatherization, energy efficiency, community projects, sustainability, environment, coal-fired plant, preferential treatment, energy policy, electric generation, regulatory reform, pollution control, efficiency, appeals process, environmental regulation, hearing board, data protection, privacy, performance measures, reporting requirements, office of privacy

Summary: The committee took up several House bills in a very busy meeting, beginning with House Bill 2515 on emerging large energy use facilities, or data centers. Staff and the sponsor described the bill’s tariff, reporting, clean energy, and tax provisions, while tribal representatives, environmental groups, utilities, local officials, and industry offered sharply divided testimony. Tribes and environmental advocates urged restoring removed provisions that would let utilities refuse service or require curtailment during energy emergencies, citing salmon, water, and reliability concerns; utilities and data center interests generally supported the bill’s direction but asked for technical changes and warned about costs, implementation, and overbroad requirements. The committee later reopened public hearing on 2515 and heard additional testimony both supporting and opposing the bill, with repeated calls to strengthen transparency, curtailment authority, and water protections, while opponents argued the bill was too punitive or would raise costs and harm development. The committee also heard House Bill 1170 on AI content notices, which would require large generative AI providers to offer provenance detection tools and disclosures for AI-generated or altered images, video, and audio, with enforcement by the Attorney General. The sponsor said the bill is intended to help Washingtonians know what is real and what is not, and to align with similar state efforts. Testimony later in the hearing included support from labor and other advocates who said the bill would help prevent digital impersonation, deepfakes, and workplace misinformation. The committee also heard House Bill 2416 on waste-to-energy facilities under the Climate Commitment Act; Spokane officials, labor, Avista, environmental groups, and Ecology testified on a proposal to provide no-cost allowances in the second compliance period while requiring a decarbonization plan and waste reduction/material recovery plan, with supporters emphasizing affordability and a tailored approach for the Spokane facility. In executive action, the committee waived the five-day rule for HB 2515 and HB 1906, then moved several bills forward. Substitute HB 1302 on utility connection charge waivers passed to Rules. HB 2338 on community-scaled weatherization projects passed to Ways and Means after an amendment was rejected. HB 2367 on coal plant treatment under the Climate Act passed to Rules after an amendment failed. Substitute HB 2496 on tribal consultation by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council passed to Rules with amendment C adopted, while amendments D and E were rejected. Engrossed Substitute HB 2225 on AI companion chatbots, HB 2426 on PCHB appeals, HB 2606 on the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, and HB 2575 on reducing reporting obligations also advanced. For Engrossed Second Substitute HB 2215 on Climate Commitment Act compliance for fuels, amendment F was adopted, while amendments G and H were rejected, and the bill was sent to Ways and Means.

Transcript Highlights:

• The State Water Project Canal runs over an area that's been impacted by subsidence due to groundwater
• The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, established a framework for long-term groundwater
• North Fork Kings GSA has developed a groundwater sustainability plan.
• North Fork Kings GSA has developed a groundwater sustainability plan for the 2027–28 water year that
• includes limits on groundwater pumping and fees for noncompliance.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and there needs to be some kind of baseline set in the municipality to ensure that there's enough
• Um, and there needs to be some kind of baseline set in the municipality to ensure that there's enough
• Um, and there needs to be some kind of baseline set in the municipality to ensure that there's enough
• set in the to be some kind of baseline set in the municipality<03:11:22.640><c> to</c><03:11:22.800>
• And so this allows for that flexibility while creating a baseline standard if municipalities want around

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I also want to just recognize the baseline concern, which is repeated...
• I also want to just recognize the baseline concern, which is repeated by my Republican colleagues more
• The proposed conservancy includes land within the boundaries of five different groundwater sustainability
• The proposed conservancy includes land within the boundaries of five different groundwater sustainability
• The proposed conservancy includes land within the boundaries of five different groundwater sustainability

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with SB 1350 by Senator McNerney presented first. The measure would expand California’s use of renewable hydrogen in the power sector by allowing renewable portfolio standard credit for power plants using green hydrogen, with supporters emphasizing grid reliability, clean-energy goals, in-state investment, and construction jobs. Support came from labor, clean-energy, municipal utility, and local government representatives; NRDC Action Fund withdrew opposition after amendments, while a few groups remained opposed or neutral. The committee later took a roll call and SB 1350 passed out on a due pass recommendation. The committee also heard SB 1180 by Senator Allen, which would set operational rules for the Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund created under SB 54, including clearer eligible uses, transparency, technical assistance, and access for tribes and smaller community groups. Environmental justice, ocean, conservation, and local government groups strongly supported the bill, saying it would ensure the fund addresses plastic pollution’s public health and environmental harms. Industry and manufacturing groups opposed unless amended, arguing the bill should stay tightly tied to plastic waste reduction and not broaden into source-reduction policy. After quorum was established, the committee approved SB 1180 on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. SB 1326 by Senator Wahab was then heard to strengthen tribal consultation and tribal cultural resource protections under CEQA by recognizing tribal registers and requiring feasible avoidance or mitigation measures when tribes identify resources. Tribal representatives and supporters said the bill would better protect sacred sites and tribal knowledge, while cities, counties, utilities, builders, and rural county groups opposed unless amended, citing implementation concerns, possible litigation, and uncertainty for infrastructure and housing projects. The committee voted the bill out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations. Finally, SB 954 by Senator Blakespear was presented as a cleanup of last year’s SB 131 advanced-manufacturing CEQA exemption, narrowing eligible projects and adding guardrails such as setbacks, air-quality limits, tribal consultation, labor standards, and habitat protections. Environmental and labor groups supported the bill as a needed correction to an overly broad exemption, while business, manufacturing, housing, and local-government groups opposed, warning it could make the exemption unusable and slow investment. Members debated the balance between environmental protection and manufacturing competitiveness, and the committee voted SB 954 out on a due pass recommendation to the Labor and Employment Committee; the transcript then moved on to SB 1031 on compostable plastics, which was introduced but not acted on in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• The State Water Project Canal runs over area that's been impacted by subsidence due to groundwater extraction
• If we know that already, maybe kind of starting from that baseline, not as the final word, but in terms
• The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, established a framework for long-term groundwater
• North Fork Kings GSA has developed a groundwater sustainability plan for the 2027-28 water year that
• includes limits on groundwater pumping and fees for noncompliance.

Summary: The committee first heard SB 872, which would direct $300 million annually for 20 years to repair subsidence damage in the State Water Project and to fund Delta levee repairs. The author and supporters said the bill is needed to protect water deliveries for 27 million Californians, prevent major infrastructure and flood risks, and address long-term threats to California’s water supply. Support came from a broad coalition of water agencies, local governments, environmental groups, and business interests; there was no opposition testimony. Members discussed the scale of the funding, the beneficiary-pays issue, and whether the bill should more clearly address risk and identify likely project areas. The committee adopted amendments, and SB 872 passed 5-0 to Appropriations and was placed on call. The committee then took up SB 1305, a study bill on the feasibility of reintroducing the California grizzly bear. The author, tribal sponsors, and conservation supporters framed the bill as a science-based roadmap that would examine habitat, impacts, and implementation, while recognizing the grizzly’s cultural significance to tribes and its ecological role. Opponents, including sheriffs, cattle groups, county representatives, and a former Fish and Wildlife law enforcement official, argued that California lacks the staffing, funding, and public-safety capacity to manage another apex predator and that the state is already struggling with wolves and mountain lions. Members raised questions about the scope of the feasibility study, local control, and whether the bill should address conflict risk earlier in the process. The author agreed to work on additional amendments, and the bill passed 4-1 to Appropriations and remained on call. SB 1079, creating a Cal Fire Fire Innovation Unit to speed the testing and deployment of wildfire technologies, was heard next. The author and supporters said California has strong wildfire innovation but lacks a formal pipeline to move promising tools from pilot projects into statewide use. Supporters included Megafire Action, Fireworks, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the California Association of Realtors, which sought amendments related to nonprofit administration of grants. There was no opposition testimony. The bill passed 5-0 to Emergency Management and was placed on call. The committee also heard SB 997, which would give the North Fork Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency lien authority to collect fines and fees tied to its groundwater sustainability plan. Supporters said the change would allow more efficient enforcement and avoid lengthy civil litigation; no opposition appeared. Members asked whether the authority should be extended more broadly to other statutory GSAs, and the author said discussions were ongoing. SB 997 passed 2-0 to Judiciary and was placed on call. The committee later caught up on votes for the earlier bills and then moved to SB 894, a wildfire resilience loan program modeled on Go Green to help homeowners finance home-hardening measures; it passed 5-0 to Emergency Management and was placed on call. Finally, SB 1229 was introduced by Senator Allen to strengthen coastal protections for rebuilding after disasters, beginning with the Palisades fire context, but the transcript cuts off before that bill’s full hearing concluded.

Transcript Highlights:

• This bill will ensure that there's a baseline of knowledge and training for all school board members
• Assembly Bill 1466 by Assemblymember Hart, an act related to groundwater adjudication.
• Local groundwater sustainability agencies were formed with the purpose of developing and implementing
• groundwater sustainability plans.
• AB 1466 will facilitate the resolution of groundwater disputes by requiring. to seek an adjudication

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It just allows existing well owners, agricultural producers, and groundwater users to have the benefits
• not going to put Members on the floor, but with that, this sets up a 5-year flex allocation for groundwater

Bills: SB1346, SB1509, SB1928, SB2028, SB2071, SB2110, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB722, SB3

Keywords: water infrastructure, wastewater, investment program, loans, local government, SB1509, groundwater, water wells, well spacing, water rights, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OWRB, basin, subbasin, maximum annual yield, aquifer management, water allocation, water permits, temporary permits, irrigation

Transcript Highlights:

• It just allows existing well owners and agricultural producers and groundwater users to have the benefits
• But with that, This sets up a five-year flex allocation for groundwater usage.
• But with that, I, this, this sets up a five-year flex allocation for groundwater usage.

Bills: SB1346, SB1509, SB1928, SB2028, SB2071, SB2110, SB2117, SB2127, SB2134, SB722, SB3

Keywords: water infrastructure, wastewater, investment program, loans, local government, SB1509, groundwater, water wells, well spacing, water rights, Oklahoma Water Resources Board, OWRB, basin, subbasin, maximum annual yield, aquifer management, water allocation, water permits, temporary permits, irrigation

Summary: The committee began by introducing new member Rep. Dylan Travis, who was elected in a special election and will represent District 35. The first measures taken up focused on water policy. HB 1346, as amended, would create a revolving fund for water and wastewater infrastructure loans through the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, with the amendment removing population-based language so infrastructure needs can be considered more broadly; it passed 9-0. SB 1509 would make well-spacing standards apply uniformly across the state by aquifer rather than waiting on maximum annual yield studies, and OWRB staff explained that domestic wells are not affected and existing rules still protect landowners; it passed 6-3. SB 1928 would establish a five-year flex allocation for groundwater use, allowing producers to shift unused water from one year to another, and it passed 7-2. The committee also considered several agriculture and food-related bills. SB 2028 would authorize the sale of raw milk products without consumer notification or container labeling beyond indicating the product is unpasteurized; it passed 8-0. SB 2071 would align Oklahoma’s Grade A milk regulations with federal standards and increase the dairy inspection fee from 1 cent to 2 cents per hundred pounds, but after concerns from members and testimony from ODAF about the fee burden, the committee adopted an amendment restoring the 1-cent rate; the bill then passed 8-1. SB 2110 would allow sale of ungraded eggs off-farm at farmers’ markets or directly to consumers, including unwashed eggs, and passed 9-0. SB 2117 would clarify that the Department of Agriculture can stop the sale of contaminated grain and direct remediation or destruction in a current contamination event involving sewer leakage into a field; it passed 9-0. Other measures addressed livestock transport, crop protection, hemp, and a proposed reimbursement scheme. SB 2134 would create procedures for wreck services and emergency management to handle livestock involved in transportation accidents, with the Department of Agriculture setting humane handling policies; members discussed whether the bill should explicitly address state or county emergency management and rail incidents, and it passed 8-0. SB 2127 was described as a work in progress to address crop protection and nontraditional producer practices, especially amid difficult conditions for row-crop producers, and it passed 8-1. SB 722, after the committee rescinded a prior referral, was presented as a new section requiring ODAF to reimburse agricultural operations for economic losses caused by agency actions enforcing court-ordered rules from an attorney general suit; after extensive questioning about scope, valuation, and legal effects, the author laid the bill over for further work. Finally, SB 3, on a newly adopted PCS, was reframed from a biosolids bill into a hemp-definition bill intended to align state law with the new federal definition and reduce youth access to marijuana-like hemp products; it passed 8-0. The meeting then adjourned.

Bills: HB1730, HB1823, HB2048, HB2266, HB2440, HB3333, HB4086, HB4271, HB4413, HB4839, HB4841, HB5151

Keywords: PFAS, perfluoroalkyl substances, polyfluoroalkyl substances, forever chemicals, public health study, environmental regulation, drinking water, groundwater, surface water, food packaging, chemical exposure, firefighters, chemical manufacturing workers, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, Railroad Commission of Texas, Department of State Health Services, University of Houston, occupational exposure, contaminants

Transcript Highlights:

• Implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in critically overdrafted basins that have
• Increasing opportunities for groundwater recharge permits, capture of high storm flows, and recycled
• This other area, you know, they have more groundwater rights than another.
• And they've provided lots of guidelines for the groundwater sustainability agencies.
• And then they go into either adjudication or SGMA, and the baseline is their use.

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in critically overdrafted basins that have
• Increasing opportunities for groundwater recharge permits, capture of high storm flows, and recycled
• If it's due to overpumping, then the groundwater sustainability agency has to pay for it.
• They’ve provided lots of guidelines for the groundwater sustainability agencies.
• And then they go into either adjudication or SGMA, and the baseline is their use.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules first handled several routine actions, including approving three governor’s appointments not required to appear: Anthony Surich as Executive Director of the California Housing Finance Agency, Craig Snelling J.D. to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and Nicholas Mueller to the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission. The committee also approved referral of bills to committees, all by 4-0 votes. It then took up appointments requiring testimony, beginning with Jereen DiAdamo to the State Water Resources Control Board. DiAdamo focused her remarks on safe drinking water, groundwater sustainability, conservation, and Bay-Delta restoration. She said the number of Californians without safe drinking water has fallen from 1.6 million to 800,000 since 2019, credited the SAFER program, technical assistance, and mandatory consolidation authority, and described ongoing work on failing and at-risk systems, domestic well mitigation, SGMA implementation, and the Bay-Delta Plan. Senators pressed her on audit follow-up, measurable goals for reducing the remaining unsafe systems, funding uncertainty, and concerns from environmental and tribal groups that the board has favored water users over ecosystem protections. Supporters from water, agriculture, business, and local agencies praised her collaborative style and consensus-building, while opponents argued she had not done enough to protect the Delta and called for new leadership. The committee ultimately voted 4-0 to advance her appointment to the full Senate. The committee then heard from Sivagunda Gunda for reappointment to the California Energy Commission. He highlighted progress on grid reliability, zero-carbon generation, and planning for California’s energy transition, including transportation fuels, building electrification, and the eventual retirement of Diablo Canyon. Senators questioned him about the future of Kern Energy and small refineries, the state’s transportation fuels plan, fuel imports and costs, and whether California can retire Diablo Canyon by 2030 without harming reliability. Gunda said the state is planning as if Diablo Canyon retires in 2030, that current resource additions make reliability manageable, and that affordability and market coordination remain key issues. The committee then voted 4-0 to advance his appointment to the full Senate, and the hearing recessed afterward.

Transcript Highlights:

• You know, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, thanks to our Department of Water Resources, is
• Local groundwater basins are coming back into balance.
• So, for example, in the groundwater management area, the department really took a step back, you know
• So, for example, in the groundwater management area, the department really took a step back, you know
• Question six, right, and the sustainable groundwater.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Climate, Crisis, Resource, Energy, and Transportation opened its first hearing with Secretary Wade Crowfoot of the Natural Resources Agency, who reviewed the Newsom administration’s climate and natural resources record and highlighted investments in wildfire resilience, water supply and conveyance, coastal adaptation, conservation, tribal land return, parks access, and streamlined project delivery. He emphasized California’s exposure to drought, wildfire, heat, and sea level rise, described progress on 30x30 conservation and nature-based solutions, and said the administration is focused on completing major projects and speeding up permitting. Members from both parties praised his engagement and the administration’s work with tribes, while also pressing him on wildfire home hardening, federal cuts to NOAA and other agencies, and the need to codify some executive actions. Crowfoot said the state has had to backfill some lost federal capacity, especially in flood forecasting and coastal monitoring, and argued that prevention and resilience investments remain essential even if they are hard to measure. The Legislative Analyst’s Office then presented a budget framework stressing that the state budget is precariously balanced despite strong revenues, with the Governor’s proposal relying on borrowing and reserves while out-year deficits remain large. LAO staff urged the committee to apply a high bar to new spending, prioritize immediate health and safety needs, consider alternative funding sources and phased or reduced proposals where appropriate, and avoid creating additional future budget pressure. They said the Proposition 4 climate bond proposals generally appeared consistent with the bond and reasonable, but noted that departments still face implementation delays because of emergency regulation requirements and that the Legislature may want to weigh in on broad program areas such as disadvantaged communities, home hardening, and outdoor recreation. The chair said the LAO’s framework matched the committee’s priorities and asked how climate and environmental spending affects broader health and human services outcomes; LAO responded that the programs have real human and environmental impacts and should be judged by priority rather than across-the-board cuts. The hearing then turned to the water resilience portion of Proposition 4. Department of Finance and agency staff outlined proposed funding for flood control, water recycling, stormwater, dam safety, groundwater management, and State Water Project repairs, while LAO staff said the overall approach was consistent with the bond and noted some categories would not spend heavily until later years because agencies are still developing guidelines and capacity. Members questioned the pace of implementation, the use of emergency regulations, and the need to ensure funds reach disadvantaged communities; staff said AB 107 should speed grant delivery and that agencies are building tracking systems for the bond’s 40% vulnerable-community target. The committee also raised concerns about the reliability of projected Salton Sea lithium revenues, with Finance explaining that forecasts have been delayed by low lithium prices, uncertain project timelines, and permitting and technology risks. Finally, staff described the sustainable groundwater management grant program as focused on implementation projects, with scoping underway and priorities likely to include subsidence, corrective actions, and projects that improve groundwater conditions on the ground.

Transcript Highlights:

• Use of groundwater is regulated by Conservation and Energy, while this department regulates groundwater
• And so one final question, the groundwater, that's not under you either? The groundwater is.
• We do, so use of groundwater, regulation of how groundwater can be used is under conservation and energy
• Use of groundwater, the amount.
• So we say quality of us, quality of groundwater spills that affect groundwater is us, the use of groundwater

Keywords: 965, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• decisions about groundwater allocations being made now.
• , but every groundwater sustainability...
• Certain groundwater needs have gone unaddressed in GSPs, but every groundwater sustainability plan, or
• groundwater sustainability agencies to implement SGMA.
• all actors and groundwater pumpers in GSP development and implementation.

Summary: The committee heard a long agenda of water, parks, transportation, species protection, and fisheries bills. AB 430 would require the State Water Resources Control Board to publish an economic and environmental impact study when emergency water regulations are extended over multiple years; the author and supporters from agricultural and water groups said it would add transparency without limiting emergency authority. AB 1139 would expand a CEQA exemption to let county park agencies open existing roads and trails for non-motorized recreation, with supporters emphasizing access to nature and opponents warning about impacts to sensitive habitat, tribal resources, and fire risk. AB 929 would temporarily exempt small community water systems and managed wetlands from certain SGMA pumping reductions and fines; supporters said it would protect vulnerable communities and wetlands, while farm and water coalition opponents argued it would undermine basin-wide groundwater management and shift burdens to other users. AB 1225, creating an Accessibility Advisory Committee for State Parks, drew broad support and passed unanimously. The committee also heard AB 514, which would encourage local water suppliers to develop emergency water supplies for drought and service interruptions; it passed with broad support, though one member cautioned against using scientific research as a loophole. AB 550 would let developers seek incidental take permits for species under consideration for listing, aimed at reducing delays for clean energy projects; environmental groups supported the goal but asked for clearer standards, limits on using research as mitigation, and a fee provision, and the bill passed as amended. AB 697 would authorize an incidental take permit for the State Route 37 interim project in Solano and Marin counties, balancing congestion relief and habitat restoration; supporters stressed long commutes and urgent restoration deadlines, while opponents raised climate, sea-level-rise, and tribal concerns. The bill passed, with some members noting they would continue to work on the measure. Other measures discussed included AB 975, which would give Sutter County a narrow, temporary exemption from streambed alteration agreements for certain damaged small bridges and culverts; county officials described repeated flood damage and long permitting delays, and the bill passed as amended. AB 1056 would phase out transferability of set gillnet permits after 2027, allowing only a final family transfer; supporters framed it as a gradual response to bycatch concerns, while fishing industry opponents said it would unfairly target an existing fishery and set a bad precedent. The committee also took up AB 1146, described by the author as a response to politically motivated water releases; supporters from conservation and water organizations backed the bill. Several bills were voted out to Appropriations, some were left open for later action or add-ons, and the committee repeatedly noted it was working through the agenda without a quorum early in the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• The baseline for the product is established by the sort of the industry average.
• How the baselines are established and then also how the applications are prioritized.
• Reductions relative to the baseline based on equivalent conventionally produced material per dollar per
• to the ground and be useful for the surface water users in our communities that don't have that groundwater

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, we are looking at HB 1621, requiring a baseline environmental impact study to be completed prior
• Uh, title is requiring a baseline environmental impact study to be completed prior to the development
• Uh title is requiring<00:40:03.119><c> a</c><00:40:03.280><c> baseline</c><00:40:03.760><c> environmental
• </c> requiring a baseline environmental requiring a baseline environmental impact<00:40:04.800><c> study
• groundwater groundwater is<04:30:16.000><c> is</c><04:30:16.399><c> a</c><04:30:16.560><c> spill</c>

Keywords: 1189, house, all