Video & Transcript Research : 'uranium permit'
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WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee, February 17, 2026 - AM
Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- the number of landowner permits the number of landowner permits available<00:08:06.560>
in Senate File 25, the landowner permit Senate File 25, the landowner permit bill? - going to issue any landowner permits. going to issue any landowner permits.
- includes a shoot-from-vehicle permit in addition to a season extension permit.
- in addition to a season vehicle permit in addition to a season extension<01:19:25.040>
permit.
Keywords:
landowner licenses, hunting, wildlife management, quota hunt areas, game and fish commission, game management, hunting regulations, black bear, tracking dogs, wildlife conservation, conservation, contracting, supervisor, funding, districts, hunting licenses, donated licenses, life-threatening illness, vision impairment, nonprofit organizations
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- There are 56 well permits in Texas alone currently under review at the EPA.
- House Bill 3158 addresses this gap by establishing application fees for permits and permit amendments
- These non-refundable fees range from $500 to $3000 depending on the permit time.
- permitting processes and protects public health and the environment.
- permits, and we thank the chairman for carrying this bill.
KY
Kentucky 2026 Regular Session
Senate Standing Committee on Natural Resources & Energy. (2-11-26)
Natural Resources & Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- , procurement of early site permits, procurement of early site permits, construction<00:08:02.960
- permits or combined license construction permits or combined license from<00:08:05.919>
the <00 - <00:08:57.920>
uh or permits that I just mentioned. uh or permits that I just mentioned. uh - And it doesn't say that they shall be permitted. It says that they may be permitted.
- It says that they may be permitted.
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00
Attendance Roll Call 03:09
SB 57 Discussion 04:03
SB 57 Roll Call Vote 38:37
SB 172 Discussion 41:27
SB 172 Roll Call Vote 50:23, 958, all
Summary:
The committee first handled routine business, including a prayer, the pledge, recognition of an Energy and Environment Cabinet leadership academy group, a roll call establishing quorum, and approval of the previous meeting’s minutes. The main item was Senator Danny Carroll’s presentation of legislation to create a nuclear-ready site readiness pilot program in Kentucky. He said the bill is intended to help build a nuclear ecosystem in the Commonwealth by supporting early site permits, construction permits, or combined licenses, with the state contributing up to $25 million per project and a total of $75 million for up to three projects. He emphasized safeguards such as refundable funding if conditions are not met, legislative rather than authority-only selection of projects, and oversight by the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority (NIDTA). He also described related provisions on cost recovery through the Public Service Commission, tax incentive eligibility for nuclear ecosystem projects, training and consultant support for the authority, and eligibility for fusion projects.
Carroll and Rodney Andrews said the proposal is meant to attract utilities, developers, and large industrial users such as data centers, and to spread projects geographically, with particular attention to Eastern Kentucky and other rural areas. They said selection criteria would include site suitability, prior site use, regional economic need and impact, geographic diversity, additional investment, federal funding status, and whether a community has applied to be designated nuclear-ready. They stressed that communities would not be forced to host reactors and could choose which parts of the nuclear ecosystem to participate in. Carroll also said the bill could help Kentucky compete with states like Texas and Tennessee, and Andrews said industry contacts viewed the proposal as a signal that Kentucky is open to investment.
Members generally expressed support for the bill and its goals, while asking about taxpayer exposure, site size, permitting, grid needs, national security, and reactor technology. Carroll said the state’s direct commitment would be capped at $75 million, with any additional cost recovery depending on PSC approval and project specifics. He said small modular reactor sites would be much smaller than traditional plants, and described a model in which a utility partners with a developer and a data center, with power contracts helping offset costs over decades. On security and technology, Carroll and Andrews said newer reactors would still be subject to the same standards as larger units, and Andrews explained that next-generation designs may use different fuels and materials such as TRISO and high-assay low-enriched uranium. No vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided, and the chair noted time limits and that additional members still had questions, including one witness expected to speak against the measure.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- The injection storage permits unit is.
- It's currently staffed to issue permits and to perform monitoring and compliance of existing permits.
- And has really helped improve the permitting processes, the quality of the permits that we receive.
- And our ability to take permits to the commission and issue permits that mean.
- excess of their permits.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Appropriations Committee Apr 29th, 2026
Transcript Highlights:
- AB 2215 seeks to undermine existing processes for extending water rights permits.
- What does that mean if the Water Board has issues with how the department is managing the permit?
- Per the committee's analysis, the state water. are subject to municipal stormwater permits.
- AB 2322 can ensure that existing MS4 permits are applied accurately and fairly across California.
- One, that municipal stormwater permits do not directly regulate CII facilities.
Summary:
The Assembly Appropriations Committee heard a regular order agenda with 101 bills and first took up AB 2215, which would extend the time for the Department of Water Resources to fully develop its State Water Project water rights. The author and supporters argued it would improve water reliability and affordability for millions of Californians and could save ratepayers money, while opponents said it would bypass the Water Board’s administrative process, set a precedent for other water rights holders, and potentially facilitate costly projects like the Delta Conveyance Project. The bill was moved on a do pass vote, with Mr. Hoover voting no and Ms. Krell not voting.
The committee then approved two consent calendars and heard several bills with little or no opposition. These included AB 2038 on extending insurance nonrenewal/cancellation protections for wildfire victims; AB 2322 on clarifying which commercial, industrial, or institutional sites are subject to municipal stormwater permits; AB 1794 on direct home shipment of enteral nutrition; AB 1696 on clarifying that nurse midwives do not need physician supervision within their scope of practice; AB 1860 on allowing county offices of education to use design-build methods; AB 1876 on codifying nondiscrimination protections in health care; AB 2281 on election cybersecurity resources; AB 2448 on protecting sensitive medical records and reproductive health data; AB 1994 on providing victims with information about federal immigration relief options; and AB 1829 on expanding how CalWORKs community college funds may be used to support student parents. Most were supported by sponsoring organizations and related stakeholders, with limited opposition noted on AB 1696 and AB 2281.
The committee also placed a large suspense calendar on approval, listing dozens of additional bills, and then opened public comment on bills not heard that day. No members of the public came forward, and the hearing was adjourned. Several bills were reported out on roll call votes, with some members not voting or voting no on particular measures, but the transcript does not provide full vote tallies for each bill.
MN
Minnesota 2025 1st Special Session
House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee 2/26/25
Public Safety Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- office processed a permit to carry our office processed a permit to carry for<00:03:46.640>
an - And, you know, when we issue a permit to purchase, permit to carry, we're responsible for that information
- And, you know, when we issue a permit to purchase, permit to carry, we're responsible for that information
- Um, I don't know. because they're applying for a permit to because they're applying for a permit to carry
- Are they keeping a registry of LPRs that have permit to carry?
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
House Standing Committee on Natural Resources & Energy (2-20-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- This will lead to a reduction for 99% of Division of Air Quality permitted businesses that pay them.
- This will lead to a reduction for 99% of Division of Air Quality permitted businesses that pay them.
- This will lead to a reduction for 99% of Division of Air Quality permitted businesses that pay them.
- , you're talking about administrative resources as far as that it takes to permit these things.
- , you're talking about administrative resources as far as that it takes to permit these things.
Keywords:
Meeting Start 00:00
Attendance Roll Call 00:12
Introduction of Guests 01:09
HB 88 Discussion 01:46
HB 88 Roll Call Vote 03:24
HB 346 Discussion 04:20
HB 346 Roll Call Vote 21:58
Chair Comments 24:31, 958, all
Summary:
The committee met with a quorum and first considered House Bill 88, which was described as a short bill to clarify procedures for Waste Management boards, including term limits, appointments, and making sure consolidated governments actively recruit community members and make openings easier to find. The sponsor said the bill was intended to resolve confusion about members staying on after terms expire. The bill received no opposition, passed the committee unanimously, and was reported favorably for the floor.
The committee then took up House Bill 346, as amended by a committee substitute. The sponsor explained that the bill responds to a dispute over air emission fees, especially for emergency generators and backup generators used for worker safety and limited non-emergency testing. The bill would exempt emergency generators and backup generators operating 100 hours or less for maintenance/testing from fees, while also removing an existing 4,000-ton cap so the per-ton fee would drop for most permitted sources. Members discussed the possible impact on utilities and ratepayers, with concerns raised that costs could be passed through to consumers and affect coal-dependent areas. The sponsor and another member argued the change would generally reduce fees for most sources and incentivize emissions reductions; the cabinet was described as neutral, and the affected utilities were identified as TVA, LG&E, East Kentucky Power, and Big Rivers, with only TVA having raised comments. The committee substitute was adopted, and the bill passed the committee with a favorable recommendation, though one member voted no and several members explained yes votes while expressing ongoing concerns about future rate impacts.
At the end of the meeting, members briefly discussed broader concerns about utility surcharges and the need to monitor the effects of legislation on ratepayers, but those comments were not part of the bill under consideration. The chair noted that future meetings may include more bills and could start earlier if needed, and the committee then adjourned.
NH
New Hampshire 2025 Regular Session
House Environment and Agriculture (01/28/2025)
Transcript Highlights:
- obviously any state statutes permitting obviously any state statutes permitting Etc<00:37:56.960
- The permitted capacity life in the permit for GSL is 2.5 times what NCS is currently permitted to accept
- is currently permitted to times what NCS is currently permitted to accept<00:58:46.559>
600,000 <04:39:48.200>also uh is that uh Dees is permitting also uh is that uh Dees is permitting - would not keep that permit?
Summary:
The Environment and Agriculture Committee held a hearing on HB 566, which would require permit applications for new landfills to include a detailed leachate management plan. The bill sponsor said the measure was prompted by recent reporting on leachate problems at New Hampshire landfills, including alleged violations at a Bethlehem facility and deficiencies at other sites, and argued the bill is meant to improve public health protections without dictating specific treatment methods or hindering innovation. The sponsor also said the proposal was developed with input from the Department of Environmental Services (DES) and industry representatives, and that a forthcoming amendment would revise the bill’s language to better fit the permitting process.
The sponsor explained that the amendment would move several requirements out of the contract section and into the planning section, change references such as “permit for construction” to “operating approval,” include landfill expansions, and remove language that could be read as requiring long-term contracts. Questions from members focused on whether the bill would create enforceable consequences if a plan is not followed, whether it would limit operators’ flexibility, and whether existing DES rules already cover the subject. The sponsor said enforcement details should be addressed by DES and emphasized that the bill would not lock operators into any particular contract or technology.
The Business and Industry Association testified in opposition to the bill as introduced, saying it appeared unnecessary because DES already regulates leachate through existing rules, including Env 806.53, and has authority to update those rules as technology changes. The witness argued that putting the requirements into statute could freeze the regulatory framework, create conflicts with future rulemaking, and make it harder for DES to respond quickly to new treatment methods or operational issues. No vote or final action was taken at the hearing.
NM
New Mexico 2026 Regular Session
House - Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs Jan 29th, 2026 at 09:00 am
House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- HB 110 is not a bill that tells governments how they have to permit or when they have to permit or who
- they have to permit to.
- Subsection D has been clarified that the report only has to include new construction permits.
- those are new permits, new permits... ...are new permits applied for in the immediately preceding quarter
- In number four, total number of new—so really, this is new permit applications.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- to reopen a permit and add requirements to control.
- The permit is issued to...” “Neighbor and utilizes that.
- The permit is issued to the data center, for example, but does that impact the discharge permit that
- Number two, they're ineligible to obtain permits, amendments, or renewals of permits.
- No new permits.
WY
Wyoming 2026 Regular Session
Senate Minerals, Business & Economic Development Committee, March 2, 2026
Minerals, Business & Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- would not allow the permitting at all. would not allow the permitting at all.
- you for permitting. Is that accurate? you for permitting. Is that accurate?
- then it's too scarce to permit hydrogen. then it's too scarce to permit hydrogen.
- permit it.
- just view the the permit at that point. just view the the permit at that point.
NM
New Mexico 2025 Regular Session
House - Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Mar 1st, 2025
House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- applicants before the issuance of operating or construction permits. sources owned or operated by permit
- any new or modified permits can be issued.
- For construction and operating permits.
- Or you're not going to get any permits issued or anything else.
- Chair, takes enhancing our permitting processes.
ND
North Dakota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Appropriations - Government Operations Division Apr 2nd, 2025 at 10:00 am
Appropriations - Government Operations Division
Transcript Highlights:
- And the permit fee comes from those oil trucks, the permits that the oil trucks pay for.
- And the permit fee comes from those oil trucks, the permits that the oil trucks pay for.
- Just the $158,000 out of the general fund would come out of the permit fee.
- We want that $172,000 to come from the electronic permit fund. The what fund?
- Permit fund? The fee. Oh, okay. Because they're one time, it's a...
Summary:
The committee first took up Senate Bill 2023 for the Racing Commission. Members confirmed the bill’s existing items, including the internships program and copier replacement, and then adopted an amendment based on the worksheet that moved those items to one-time funding. The committee then passed SB 2023 as amended, with the only noted differences from the Senate version being the one-time treatment of the $20,000 internship item and the copier replacement.
Next, the committee considered House Bill 2011 for the Highway Patrol. Representative Pyle explained a series of verbal amendments that shifted several one-time and ongoing expenses from the general fund to the electronic permit fee fund, including body armor, preliminary breath test devices, handgun replacement, emergency vehicle operations course resurfacing, and related items, while also removing the shooting range ventilation project because it could be completed with existing funds. The committee also added a section allowing carryover authority for federal grant dollars tied to the in-car router system. After adopting the amendments, the committee passed HB 2011 as amended.
The committee then discussed Senate Bill 2014 for the Industrial Commission, focusing on a proposed amendment by Representative Fisher that would direct additional percentages of North Dakota Mill net income to wheat breeding programs at NDSU’s main experiment station and branch research centers. Members asked about current funding, the size of the proposed transfers, and how the money would be used, with Fisher arguing the funds would support breeding, disease resistance, and related research. Several members said they wanted more information on existing funding and program costs before advancing the idea, so the committee held the amendment for further review and took no final action on the bill during this discussion.
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- We do tend to implement the antlerless permit lottery in deer permit areas where deer populations are
- lottery permit areas.
- We do tend to implement the antlerless permit lottery in deer permit areas where deer populations are
- :42.320>
in <00:10:42.440>deer <00:10:42.640>permit antlerless permit lottery in - deer permit antlerless permit lottery in deer permit areas<00:10:43.320>
where <00:10:43.480><
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Environment and Natural Resources Dec 9th, 2025
Environment and Natural Resources
Transcript Highlights:
- So pink is where it was originally permitted, because they did go through a permitting system with the
- permits.
- permits.
- So we revised our permits in 2022.
- They're almost through all of their permitting, the whole permitting process with DEP.
Summary:
The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard a series of presentations focused on coral reef restoration, artificial reefs, biosolids management, and a proposed biosolids processing facility. Mote Marine Laboratory described the severe decline of Florida’s coral reefs, its restoration methods using microfragmentation, genetic banking, selective breeding, nurseries, and outplanting, and asked for a long-term state commitment to help restore reef areas. The Keys Marine Laboratory and Florida Institute of Oceanography highlighted their role as a hub for coral rescue, holding, propagation, and research, including emergency response during the 2023 bleaching event. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed the scale of reef loss, the state’s coral rescue and propagation efforts, and the economic and habitat value of artificial reefs, while noting permitting delays and material-selection concerns for reef projects.
The committee then received a DEP update on the Osborne Reef tire cleanup. DEP explained that the original tire reef was a failure, that nearly 500,000 tires had been removed by 2024, and that the current effort is funded at $5 million for the fiscal year, with cleanup now shifting from large tire clusters to more difficult individual tires and coral relocation. Members asked about the future of the site after cleanup; DEP said that phase two decisions, such as whether to restore or monitor the area, have not yet been made. DEP also presented on biosolids rules, explaining that the 2021 rule tightened nutrient management, groundwater, and surface water protections, reduced the number of active land-application sites, and contributed to a shift away from Class B land application toward Class AA, landfill, or out-of-state disposal. Senators raised concerns about PFAS, nutrient loading, and the loss of disposal options, and a public speaker warned of a statewide septage disposal crisis.
Finally, Sedron Technologies presented its VARCOR system and a planned Indiantown facility that would process dewatered biosolids into clean water, ammonia, and a dry Class AA product or fuel, with the company saying the process can destroy PFAS and help relieve regional disposal pressure. Senators expressed support for the technology as a potential solution to Florida’s biosolids challenges. No formal votes were taken on the presentations themselves, and the only action at the end of the meeting was adjournment after Senator Polsky moved to do so.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee Mar 12th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- We will not permit any conduct that disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of today's
- Permitting at the local level, and we're trying to do the same thing at the state level.
- We know that accelerating the permitting process is going to be essential.
- Even before projects receive full approval, post-entitlement permits such as building permits can take
- It just allows different permit inspectors, basically, and plan checks, right?
Summary:
The committee heard a series of housing and wildfire-recovery bills, with members repeatedly framing the package as a response to the Los Angeles fires and the state’s broader housing affordability crisis. AB 306, by Assembly Member Schultz, would place a six-year moratorium on new residential building-code updates and local code modifications except for health-and-safety emergencies. Supporters argued it would reduce costs and provide certainty for rebuilding and new housing production, while opponents from environmental, clean-energy, and labor groups warned it would freeze beneficial code improvements, delay innovation, and limit local control. Despite those concerns, several members said they would support the bill while seeking amendments, and the committee voted it out on a due pass recommendation to Appropriations.
The committee also approved AB 301, which would require state agencies to follow shot-clock style deadlines for reviewing building permits, and AB 253, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to conduct certain post-entitlement permit reviews if local departments take more than 30 days. Supporters said both bills would reduce delays, lower costs, and speed rebuilding and housing production; some members emphasized that safety reviews must remain intact. AB 301 passed on a due pass vote to Appropriations, and AB 253 passed 8-0 to Local Government.
AB 462, by Assembly Member Lowenthal, would exempt accessory dwelling units in Los Angeles County’s coastal zone from coastal development permit requirements, with the goal of speeding ADU construction for disaster recovery and housing supply. Supporters said ADUs are a proven tool and that the bill would help displaced residents and future coastal disaster areas; one member of the public opposed the bill, arguing ADU proliferation can change neighborhood conditions. The committee sent AB 462 to Appropriations on an 8-0 vote. The final bill discussed, AB 299, would let disaster-displaced families stay in hotels, motels, and short-term rentals for more than 30 days without triggering landlord-tenant rules, mirroring an earlier homelessness-related law; the transcript ended as the author began presenting the bill and its support.
ND
North Dakota 2026 1st Special Session
Energy Development and Transmission Committee Jun 2nd, 2026
Energy Development and Transmission Committee
Transcript Highlights:
- We have, just to give you a quick update, Allendale Phase 1 was permitted.
- The buildout is, the permit is going out soon.
- And then Fargo, we're in the midst of issuing a permit for that as well.
- When we issue these permits, we use a term called acre-feet.
- We would never issue a permit for a new facility if it's going to impact someone who already has a permit
Summary:
The committee met in Grand Forks, approved the February 26 minutes by voice vote, and recessed for a tour of the Mincota Power Cooperative headquarters before returning for presentations on large energy consumers, especially data centers. The first presentations focused on how North Dakota should respond to rapid growth in energy-intensive projects, with speakers emphasizing the need for reliable transmission, local decision-making tools, and factual information for county and township officials who are being asked to weigh major projects with limited staff and technical support.
The North Dakota Transmission Authority director said local governments are being asked to make high-impact decisions on pipelines, transmission lines, large agriculture, wind, solar, carbon dioxide pipelines, direct-air capture, and data centers, and urged development of simple statewide decision tools and support from the League of Cities and Association of Counties. The Department of Environmental Quality’s air division director said North Dakota’s air remains among the cleanest in the nation, but large data centers can create air-quality concerns because of diesel backup generation; he said the department is requiring air monitors at some facilities and expects grid power and, potentially, cleaner natural gas backup to reduce emissions. Members asked about emissions standards, misinformation, monitoring costs, and staffing succession at DEQ.
The Department of Water Resources director said North Dakota’s water law is based on common ownership and prior appropriation, and that data centers generally use relatively small amounts of water, often in closed-loop systems. He said the Missouri River and groundwater supplies are ample for projected needs, that the department’s permitting process protects senior water rights, and that even a worst-case data center scenario would use a very small share of Missouri River flow. Members asked about downstream impacts and compared data center water use with fracking. Later, McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson urged the committee to study how other states regulate data centers, warned against litigation-driven delays and overly broad local ordinances, argued reclamation bonding should be handled at the state level if at all, and said data centers can bring jobs and tax base but should remain subject to local zoning. The committee ended the morning session for lunch and later heard an EERC update from CEO Charles Gorecki on the center’s 75 years of work in energy and environmental technologies, especially oil and gas development and related research.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- There are 56 well permits in Texas alone currently under review at the EPA.
- House Bill 3158 addresses this gap by establishing... ...application fees for permits and permit amendments
- This change aims to bring the EPS unit in line with other Railroad Commission permits. ...permitting
- This equates to a lot of permits for the Railroad Commission to process.
- Requiring permit fees is a sensible way to manage the costs.
Keywords:
carbon sequestration, environmental policy, Texas, energy, climate change, regulatory council, geothermal energy, workforce development, education and training, energy industry, apprenticeship, energy production, energy policy, renewable energy, state council, administrative law, public information, transparency, government accountability, judicial process
VT
Transcript Highlights:
- Council and CAFO Permit Working Groups. Council and CAFO Permit Working Groups.
- <00:26:41.040>
the cannabis regulation fund to permit the cannabis regulation fund to permit - Um I will now speak to the CAFO permit Um I will now speak to the CAFO permit working<00:29:43.360
- So, that brings us today's permit So, that brings us today's permit working<00:30:44.560>
group - CAFO permit in process. CAFO permit in process.
Summary:
The House took up Senate Bill 323, suspending the rules to consider it immediately. The bill was described as a broad agricultural measure with committee amendments and fiscal implications, and it was reported favorably by the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Committee, Ways and Means, and Appropriations. Members outlined sections dealing with milk market corrections, farm-to-school language, repeal of the obsolete pest control compact, pesticide applicator licensing changes, seed law updates, the Vermont Agricultural Credit Program, hemp regulation, and CAFO-related provisions. The Agriculture committee reported the bill out 7-0-1, and the effective date was described as July 1, 2026, except for the hemp provisions, which would take effect upon passage.
Much of the discussion focused on the hemp sections. Supporters said the bill updates Vermont law to reflect federal changes and shifts hemp oversight from the Agency of Agriculture to the Cannabis Control Board. The hemp provisions would create registration and licensing requirements for hemp producers, processors, and certain hemp products; set fees; authorize testing, inspections, stop-sale orders, and administrative penalties; and allow rulemaking on product standards, labeling, insurance, additives, and age restrictions. Speakers said the changes were intended to help Vermont’s hemp industry maintain access to banking, insurance, and interstate commerce while improving consumer safety and regulatory clarity.
Other agricultural provisions were also explained in detail. The bill would clarify milk producer hearing rights, update farm-to-school grant/contract language, remove outdated pest-control compact language, and adjust pesticide applicator exam and fee rules, including removing the limit on retakes and eliminating certain government applicator fees. It would also modernize seed labeling and definitions, transfer the Vermont Agricultural Credit Program into a new statutory structure under VEDA, and make conforming cross-reference changes in tax and cannabis fund statutes. The final sections would add a CAFO permit working group and require consultant training for state agencies on CAFO inspections, with those provisions contingent on future funding. Ways and Means noted the bill’s fee changes could affect state revenues, including an estimated hemp-related impact of roughly $10,000 to $90,000, though the exact effect was uncertain.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Local Government Committee Mar 12th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Even after projects receive full approval, post-entitlement permits, such as building permits, can take
- You know, we had a select committee on permitting reform.
- Well, we in San Joaquin County do collect a fee with each building permit.
- It's 5% of the building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical permit.
- The permitting, the amount of permits that come in, controls that fee, and then also just the ever-increasing
Summary:
The committee first heard AB 253, by Assembly Member Ward and presented by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, which would allow licensed third-party professionals to review certain post-entitlement permits if a local building department would take more than 30 days. Supporters, including California YIMBY, the California Chamber of Commerce, the Housing Action Coalition, the Bay Area Council, SPUR, and Abundant Housing LA, said the bill would reduce permitting delays and help housing production. League of Cities and the California State Association of Counties expressed concerns but were not formally opposed. Members voiced strong support, and the bill passed the committee 10-0 to Appropriations.
The committee then held an informational hearing on California’s general plan. The first panel, led by UC Davis professor Catherine Brinkley, gave an overview of the general plan structure, required elements, update cycles, and the new PlanSearch database that makes adopted plans searchable statewide. She emphasized that general plans are long-term, locally tailored documents that integrate housing, transportation, safety, environmental justice, and other policy areas, and noted that many plans and elements are outdated. Members asked about update timelines, public participation, and whether AI tools could help with drafting and analysis.
A second panel of local government representatives described the practical challenges of preparing and updating general plans, especially in rural and small jurisdictions. Speakers from Calaveras County, Sacramento, San Joaquin County, and Fountain Valley cited staffing shortages, consultant availability, funding constraints, CEQA and outreach costs, changing state mandates, and the difficulty of keeping plans aligned with local conditions and board turnover. They asked for more funding, more time, clearer prioritization, and more flexibility. A third panel from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation explained its role in issuing general plan guidelines, technical advisories, and annual planning surveys, and said it is updating its guidance through 2027 to reflect recent housing, climate, safety, environmental justice, and open space laws. No public comment was offered, and the informational hearing was adjourned.