The Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy moved two bills forward Tuesday, advancing separate measures on refinery-closure transparency and high-speed rail permitting after testimony in Capital Room 126.
SB 1259, authored by Sen. Blakesper, would require earlier disclosure and planning information tied to refinery closures, decommissioning, remediation and reuse. Committee materials say the bill advanced on a “do pass as amended to appropriations” motion and later was recorded out on a 10-4 tally. Supporters framed it as a way to give communities and state agencies more information when a refinery closes; opponents warned about possible conflicts with federal reporting requirements.
The panel also sent SB 1425, authored by Sen. Cortese, to the next committee stop. The bill would create a permitting process for encroachments within the high-speed rail project right-of-way. Committee materials say it advanced on a “do pass as amended to appropriations” motion and later was recorded out on an 11-3 tally.
The hearing also included testimony on both bills, and committee materials note that later discussion touched on broader energy issues such as resource adequacy, procurement orders and the DSGS program. The clearest formal action, though, was the committee’s approval of SB 1259 and SB 1425.
