Energy: nuclear powerplants: assessment.

The deadline for the Energy Commission to prepare the comprehensive assessment of advanced nuclear technologies was changed from July 1, 2027 to January 1, 2028, a six-month extension.

Amendment history headers (amended in Senate/Assembly dates), coauthor lists, introduction date, and line-by-line amendment markup were removed as part of converting to the final enrolled format.

Standard enrolled bill elements were added: Assembly passage date (August 25, 2026), Senate passage date (August 24, 2026), governor's receipt and approval blocks, and chapter designation placeholder.

Removed Section 25524.3 entirely, which would have exempted advanced nuclear reactors (defined as fission or fusion systems with enhanced safety features and an NRC design license approved on or after January 1, 2005) from the state's conditional prohibitions on new nuclear powerplants.

Removed amendments to Sections 25524.1 and 25524.2 of the Public Resources Code that would have modified the existing conditional prohibitions on nuclear fission thermal powerplants related to fuel reprocessing and high-level waste disposal.

The bill's overall purpose shifted from both creating an exemption pathway for advanced nuclear reactors AND requiring a study, to solely requiring a study. The legislative digest was updated to reflect this narrower scope.

Removed all labor requirements for advanced nuclear reactor construction, including the mandate to use a skilled and trained workforce (registered apprentices or skilled journeypersons), prevailing wage obligations, monthly compliance reporting to the Labor Commissioner, and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per month (or $10,000 for repeat violations) for non-compliance.

Added a new required factor in the comprehensive assessment: an evaluation of security-related costs and considerations to store, handle, and transport nuclear fuel for each nuclear energy technology.

Extended the deadline for the Energy Commission's comprehensive assessment of nuclear energy from July 1, 2027 to January 1, 2028, giving the commission an additional six months.

New Section 25302.2 requires the Energy Commission to prepare a comprehensive assessment by July 1, 2027 of the potential role for advanced nuclear technologies in supporting critical infrastructure and meeting statewide electricity needs under the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act of 2018.

The assessment must consider system costs, reliability benefits, emission impacts, deployment timelines, waste management pathways including advanced fuel cycle technologies, environmental and public health impacts, siting considerations, high-renewable grid scenarios, ratepayer and taxpayer costs of spent fuel management, skilled workforce potential, post-2045 procurement needs, comparative outcomes across energy pathways, and recommended revisions to state law.

The new section authorizes the Energy Commission, Public Utilities Commission, Independent System Operator, and other public agencies to evaluate nuclear energy's potential to meet long-term resource needs notwithstanding the conditional prohibitions in Sections 25524.1 and 25524.2 on siting new nuclear powerplants.

Additional coauthors were added: Assembly Members Ahrens and Alanis, and Senators Becker, Gonzalez, and Stern, indicating broader legislative support for the bill.

The Energy Commission must consult with the Public Utilities Commission, Independent System Operator, and other state agencies, hold workshops, and solicit comments from stakeholders including academic experts, developers, investors, electric corporations, labor, ratepayer advocates, and environmentalists.

Section 1 (intent statement) now specifies that 'skilled and trained workforce' means the workforce as defined for purposes of Sections 25536.7 and 25536.8 of the Health and Safety Code, and clarifies it applies to any new advanced nuclear reactors permitted and constructed in the future following enactment of this act.

New Section 25524.3 requires that before the Energy Commission can determine an advanced nuclear reactor is exempt from Sections 25524.1 and 25524.2, it must verify the owner, operator, or developer has made a legally enforceable commitment to require contractors and subcontractors to use a skilled and trained workforce for all onsite work in apprenticeable occupations in building and construction trades.

Monthly reporting requirement: the owner, operator, or developer must provide the Labor Commissioner a monthly report demonstrating compliance, including the full name, apprenticeship program, location, and graduation date of each worker relied upon to satisfy the 60 percent apprenticeship graduation requirement. Reports are public records under the California Public Records Act.

New definitions added including: skilled and trained workforce (all workers must be registered apprentices or skilled journeypersons, with at least 60 percent of journeypersons being apprenticeship graduates), skilled journeyperson (apprenticeship graduate or equivalent on-the-job experience plus prevailing wage), apprenticeable occupation, building and construction trades, registered apprentice, graduate of an apprenticeship program, onsite work, prevailing hourly wage rate, and project labor agreement.

Civil penalties established: up to $5,000 per month of violating work for a first violation, and up to $10,000 per month for a second or subsequent violation within a three-year period. The Labor Commissioner investigates violations and issues civil wage and penalty assessments. Penalties may be reduced or waived if disproportionate to the severity of the violation.

Exemption from the labor requirements if all work on the advanced nuclear reactor is covered by a project labor agreement (a prehire collective bargaining agreement under Section 158(f) of Title 29 of the U.S. Code) that requires use of a skilled and trained workforce and provides for enforcement through an arbitration procedure.

Sections 25524.1 and 25524.2 previously exempted advanced nuclear reactors outright. Now they state the exemption applies only 'except as provided in Section 25524.3,' making the exemption conditional on meeting the new labor workforce requirements.

New legislative intent section (Section 1) stating it is the Legislature's intent that skilled and trained workforce requirements applicable to other dangerous industrial facilities, including petroleum refineries and chemical manufacturing facilities, also apply to initial construction and maintenance of new advanced nuclear reactors to ensure public health and safety.