California Environmental Quality Act: expedited judicial review: sustainable aviation fuel projects.

The bill text was reformatted from the official legislative document format (with line numbers, page breaks, and centered headers) into a web page layout that includes navigation menus, search tools, version history links, and metadata such as publication date.

The definition of 'sustainable aviation fuel project' now requires the project to be for the 'new construction, conversion, or expansion of a facility,' which narrows eligibility by excluding, for example, purely operational changes at an existing facility. It also adds coverage for projects that manufacture electrochemical components used for SAF production, broadening the type of manufacturing activities that can qualify.

The legislative finding on SAF emissions was changed from 'reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 80 percent' to 'reduces lifecycle greenhouse gases by up to 80 percent or more, depending on the feedstock and production pathway.' This shifts the framing from a single gas (CO2) to full lifecycle GHG accounting and acknowledges that reduction rates vary by feedstock.

A new sentence was added to the legislative findings stating that 'SAF producers in the United States have also invested heavily in the production of SAF, roughly doubling capacity each year since 2021,' providing additional justification for the bill's streamlining provisions.

Multiple cross-reference corrections were made throughout the bill (e.g., 'subdivision (h) (i)' corrected to 'subdivision (i)', 'subdivision (i) (j)' corrected to 'subdivision (j)') to align with renumbered subdivisions. Minor drafting errors were also fixed, including removal of duplicate words in the SAF certification cap language and spelling corrections ('megawatthours', 'powerplants').

The Governor's authority to certify sustainable aviation fuel projects as infrastructure projects is now capped at three projects, down from an unlimited number in the prior version.

State-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' formally acknowledging the bill imposes obligations on local agencies that may trigger reimbursement requirements under the California Constitution.

The legislative intent statement about enacting subsequent legislation to facilitate SAF infrastructure development was removed, along with a reference to existing law prohibiting leaded aviation gasoline sales after January 1, 2031.

SAF projects must now meet four cumulative requirements: (1) satisfy Section 21183.5, (2) not use fossil fuels in production, (3) if converting or replacing an existing Title V source, reduce air pollutant emissions compared to baseline as determined by the applicable air district, and (4) if not converting a Title V source, not cause a significant environmental effect attributable to any air pollutant.

A new definition of 'sustainable aviation fuel' was added, specifying it must be hydrocarbon fuel meeting ASTM D7566 for aviation turbine fuel containing synthesized hydrocarbons, usable as alternative jet fuel per Title 17 California Code of Regulations Section 95481 and Subarticle 7 of Article 4 of Subchapter 10.

Fiscal committee review changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now requires fiscal analysis before passage.

The bill now amends Public Resources Code Sections 21189.81, 21189.82, and 21189.83 to add 'sustainable aviation fuel project' as a new type of infrastructure project eligible for Governor certification under CEQA streamlining provisions.

A lengthy findings and declarations section (Section 1) was added establishing the policy rationale: SAF reduces CO2 by up to 80 percent, ARB has set a goal of 200 million gallons of SAF use by 2035, and expedited judicial review is needed to ensure certainty for essential SAF infrastructure timelines.

Defines 'sustainable aviation fuel project' as a project to manufacture, process, store, distribute, or transport sustainable aviation fuel or feedstock used for its production that meets the requirements of Section 21183.5 of the Public Resources Code.

SAF projects certified as infrastructure projects receive expedited judicial review: courts must resolve challenges to the environmental impact report or project approvals within 270 days of filing the record of proceedings, to the extent feasible.

For private entities proposing SAF projects, the Governor may certify only if the project does not result in any net additional greenhouse gas emissions, including from employee transportation. The applicant must demonstrate a binding commitment to mitigate any GHG emissions per Section 21183.6.

Applicants must avoid or minimize significant environmental impacts in disadvantaged communities, enter into a binding agreement to comply with those requirements before EIR certification, and pay costs of court proceedings and record preparation concurrent with environmental review.

Fiscal committee determination changed from 'no' to 'yes' and state-mandated local program changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now imposes costs on local agencies. A reimbursement exemption is included based on local authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments.