AB 915: Dam safety: state supervision: exceptions. - California

06/23/25 - Amended Senate → 07/17/25 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Jul 17, 2025

MODERATE

The July 17 amendment dramatically narrows AB 915 from a broader clean energy facilitation bill into a targeted special statute for a single project in Kern County. It removes the requirement for the Energy Commission to establish a statewide pool of clean energy siting and permitting experts, and restricts the dam safety exemption for compressed air energy storage facilities to one specific geographic area (north of Dawn Road between State Route 14 and Sierra Highway in Kern County). The broad legislative findings about California's clean energy goals and county infrastructure challenges are replaced with a single finding justifying a special statute for that unique project.

SCOPE

Removed the entire requirement for the Energy Commission to establish a state central pool of subject matter experts with experience in clean energy project siting and permitting (former Section 25238 of the Public Resources Code).

Removed extensive legislative findings about California's clean energy buildout targets (19 GW solar, 7 GW wind, 15 GW storage), county infrastructure challenges, and the Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan (CERIP) funding gap.

Added a legislative finding that a special statute is necessary under Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique project to be located in Kern County, confirming this is now a single-project bill rather than a general law.

ELIGIBILITY

The dam safety exemption for compressed air energy storage water facilities is now geographically limited to the County of Kern, specifically north of Dawn Road between State Route 14 and Sierra Highway, rather than applying statewide to any qualifying facility.

07/17/25 - Amended Senate → 09/16/25 - Enrolled · 3 edits · Sep 16, 2025

MINOR

This is a transition from the Amended Senate version to the Enrolled version of AB 915. The substantive legal text amending Section 6025.5 of the Water Code remains unchanged. The only textual correction is a minor typo fix removing a duplicated word ('facilities facility' changed to 'facility'). All other changes are procedural formatting updates reflecting that the bill passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor.

TECHNICAL

Fixed a typo in Section 6025.5(a): 'wastewater control facilities facility' corrected to 'wastewater control facility'

Added procedural enrolled-bill formatting: passage dates (Assembly September 13, 2025; Senate September 11, 2025), Governor's receipt and approval blocks with blank dates

Removed amendment history headers listing prior amendment dates and the original introduction line

09/16/25 - Enrolled → AB915 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes occurred between these two versions. The diff reflects a difference in document presentation format: the first version is the formal enrolled bill document with signature blocks and traditional legislative formatting, while the second is a web page rendering of the same enacted text. All operative provisions amending Water Code Section 6025.5 remain identical.

TECHNICAL

The document changed from a formal enrolled bill format (with Chief Clerk, Secretary of the Senate, and Governor signature blocks) to a web page layout with navigation elements (skip to content, FAQ, sitemap, login, etc.). The actual legislative text amending Section 6025.5 of the Water Code is unchanged.

05/23/25 - Amended Assembly → 06/23/25 - Amended Senate · 4 edits · Jun 23, 2025

MODERATE

The Senate amendment to AB 915 adds a new provision exempting certain water storage facilities from state dam safety regulation, specifically wastewater treatment ponds and water pools associated with compressed air energy storage systems that meet size and engineering criteria. It also removes the previous section expressing legislative intent to appropriate $900 million for the Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan. The bill now covers both clean energy permitting support and dam safety exemptions.

SCOPE

Adds an amendment to Water Code Section 6025.5 exempting wastewater treatment and storage ponds from state dam safety regulation if they meet criteria: maximum height of 15 feet or less, maximum storage capacity of 1,500 acre-feet or less, designed and constructed under supervision of a registered civil engineer, and not located across a stream channel or watercourse.

Adds an exemption from state dam safety regulation for water storage facilities associated with compressed air energy storage systems that meet criteria: maximum water pool height of 25 feet or less from final engineered grade, maximum storage capacity of 1,500 acre-feet or less, designed and constructed under supervision of a registered civil engineer, not across a stream channel or watercourse, and approved by a lead agency under CEQA (Public Resources Code Division 13).

FISCAL

Removes the section stating legislative intent to appropriate $900,000,000 from the General Fund to the Energy Commission for the 2025-26 fiscal year for the Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan local incentive grants.

TECHNICAL

Reorders the bill sections so the Water Code amendment becomes Section 1, the legislative findings become part of the restructured text, and the Public Resources Code expert pool provision is renumbered to Section 2. Bill title and digest updated to reflect the new dam safety content.

04/22/25 - Amended Assembly → 05/23/25 - Amended Assembly · 3 edits · May 23, 2025

MINOR

The May 23 amendment removed the direct $900 million appropriation from the General Fund, replacing it with a statement of legislative intent to appropriate those funds through future legislation. The vote requirement was also lowered from a two-thirds supermajority to a simple majority. These changes make the bill easier to pass but defer actual funding to a later bill.

FISCAL

The bill no longer directly appropriates $900,000,000 from the General Fund for FY 2025-26. It now only states the Legislature's intent to enact subsequent legislation that would make that appropriation.

ENFORCEMENT

The required vote was changed from a two-thirds majority (supermajority) to a simple majority, making it easier for the bill to pass both chambers.

SCOPE

The short title removed the phrase 'and making an appropriation therefor,' reflecting that the bill no longer contains an actual appropriation.

02/19/25 - Introduced → 04/22/25 - Amended Assembly · 4 edits · Apr 22, 2025

MODERATE

The amended version of AB 915 makes two major substantive changes: it replaces the direct $900 million appropriation with a statement of legislative intent to appropriate funds through future legislation, and it adds a new requirement for the Energy Commission to establish a state central pool of subject matter experts in clean energy project siting and permitting. The shift from an actual appropriation to an intent statement significantly weakens the bill's immediate financial commitment while preserving the policy direction.

FISCAL

The bill no longer directly appropriates $900,000,000 from the General Fund. Instead, it states the Legislature's intent to enact subsequent legislation that would appropriate the funds for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The appropriation vote changed from 'yes' to 'no.'

REQUIREMENT

A new Section 3 adds Section 25238 to the Public Resources Code, requiring the Energy Commission to establish a state central pool of subject matter experts with experience in clean energy project siting and permitting.

SCOPE

The bill's title was expanded to include 'An act to add Section 25238 to the Public Resources Code, relating to energy,' reflecting the new statutory requirement beyond just the funding provision.

TECHNICAL

The digest now references existing law requiring quarterly Reliability Planning Assessments from the Energy Commission and Public Utilities Commission, providing additional context for the expert pool requirement. The term 'Commission' is now defined as 'Energy Commission' throughout.

Dam safety: state supervision: exceptions.

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