Air pollution: South Coast Air Quality Management District: mobile sources: Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The sunset date was moved from January 1, 2036 to January 1, 2031, shortening the period during which the bill's protections apply by five years.

The trigger date for when the south coast district board must ensure compliance with the bill's conditions was moved from January 1, 2026 to July 1, 2025, making the requirements applicable sooner.

The prohibition on capping cargo throughput or limiting port operations now explicitly covers indirect actions as well, not just direct ones. The text was changed from 'limit operations at the ports' to 'limit operations at the ports, directly or indirectly.'

The requirement for ports to prepare assessments was clarified by adding 'associated with the action' at the end, tying the required energy demand, cost, workforce, and environmental impact assessments specifically to the triggering action rather than broadly.

The definition of 'Action' was revised to add a general descriptive clause limiting it to 'the adoption or amendment of a rule or regulation that imposes new or additional emissions reduction requirements on sources of air pollution associated with an operation at the ports,' clarifying that only rules adding new requirements are covered.

The bill's title and legislative digest were updated to specifically name the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles rather than using the broader term 'public seaports,' making the targeted scope more explicit in the summary.

The bill was reformatted from a formal enrolled document layout (with Governor signature block, page numbers, and official passage dates) to a web page display format with navigation elements, search bars, version history dropdowns, and status tracking sections. No policy content was altered.

The trigger for the bill's requirements was simplified from a two-part date-based structure (before/after January 1, 2026) to a single threshold: any action taken on or after July 1, 2025. This makes the bill applicable sooner and removes the 'update' mechanism for pre-existing actions.

Removed references to 'public seaports' and 'marine terminal facility at a public seaport' throughout the bill, narrowing the geographic and operational scope to specifically the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles only.

Removed the prohibition against requiring actions that reduce pollution from sources exclusively under state or federal government purview (old subparagraph B). This means the district's rules could now potentially address emissions from vessels in transit or other federally regulated sources.

Removed the prohibition against setting shorter timelines for zero-emission technology or drayage trucks than those stated in the 2017 San Pedro Ports Clean Air Action Plan and 2017 Joint Declaration of the Mayors (old subparagraph C). This removes a floor that protected existing port commitments from being accelerated.

Added 'cruise ship passengers' to the prohibition on imposing caps at the ports, expanding the protection beyond just cargo throughput to also cover cruise operations.

The definition of 'action' was drastically simplified. The old version specifically named Rule 2304 and listed numerous agreement types (compacts, pacts, contracts, pledges, settlements, covenants, accords, letters of agreement/understanding/intent, memoranda of understanding). The new version simply covers 'the adoption or amendment of a rule or regulation that imposes new or additional emissions reduction requirements.' This narrows the scope by removing the broad agreement-based trigger.

Removed several legislative findings including: port emissions reduction achievements (91% diesel particulate matter reduction, etc.), specific port programs (Zero Emission Truck Voucher Incentive Program, Vessel Speed Reduction Program, Green Shipping Corridors), the 'catastrophic impacts' language about inflexible emissions caps, and stakeholder positions from labor unions and maritime industry groups opposing automated equipment.

The sunset/repeal date was shortened from January 1, 2036 to January 1, 2031, reducing the bill's effective lifespan by five years.

Section 40453(a)(2)(A) previously prohibited the South Coast Air Quality Management District from imposing a cap on cargo throughput or cruise ship passengers 'directly or indirectly.' The enrolled version removes 'directly or indirectly,' narrowing the prohibition to only direct caps. This means the district could potentially achieve effective throughput limitations through indirect regulatory mechanisms without violating this section.

New prohibition (D) added: the action shall not use public funds or grants (municipal, county, state, or federal) to require, incentivize, encourage, or otherwise promote automated, remotely controlled, or remotely operated equipment or supporting infrastructure at the ports.

New permissive subsection (b) added: the action may result in the procurement and operation of human-operated, zero-emission equipment and infrastructure to support such equipment at the ports.

The cargo throughput prohibition was changed from 'Impose a firm cap on cargo throughput or limit operations at the ports in ways that hinder global competitiveness' to simply 'Impose a cap on cargo throughput or limit operations at the ports.' This removes both the word 'firm' and the qualifier about global competitiveness, making the ban on any cap or operational limitation broader.

The trigger language was simplified. The old version specifically referenced updating or ensuring compliance with 'Rule 2304 Commercial Marine Ports' by name. The new version uses the generic term 'action' without naming the specific rule in the operative text, though Rule 2304 is still referenced in the definition of 'Action.'

A standalone subsection (b) that explicitly stated the section applies to any other rule or regulation addressing mobile source pollution at public seaports was removed as a separate provision. Its substance is preserved within the definition of 'Action' in subsection (c)(1)(B).

The phrase 'Notwithstanding any other law' was removed from the opening of Section 40453(a), which could affect how the provision interacts with other statutes.

Removed the outright prohibition on the South Coast Air Quality Management District adopting, considering, or requiring enforcement of any regulation or indirect source rule addressing mobile source pollution at public seaports. The district is no longer barred from regulating these sources.

The conditions (no cargo throughput caps, no shorter timelines than 2017 plan, required assessments and extension processes) now apply to any 'action' as broadly defined, rather than only to Rule 2304 specifically. This captures agreements and compacts in addition to formal rules.

Removed the legislative finding that stakeholders need to work in collaborative groups through agreements to develop zero-emission plans, which had supported the voluntary agreement approach now eliminated.

Removed the entire voluntary agreement framework that required stakeholder discussions before adoption, prohibited capping port operations, banned use of public funds for automated or remotely operated equipment, and specified which entities (port boards, mayors, district board) must sign agreements.

Added a new definition of 'action' that broadly covers not only the adoption or amendment of Rule 2304 but also any other rule, regulation, compact, pact, contract, pledge, settlement, covenant, accord, letter of agreement, declaration of intent, letter of understanding, or memorandum of understanding entered into by the district board to address mobile source pollution at public seaports.

Added a new Section 3 declaring that a special statute is necessary under Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution due to unique circumstances, which provides a constitutional basis for the bill's port-specific provisions.

Fiscal committee review changed from 'no' to 'yes,' and state-mandated local program designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now triggers fiscal analysis and is formally recognized as imposing a state-mandated local program.

Added new Section 40453 to the Health and Safety Code that prohibits the South Coast Air Quality Management District from adopting, considering adopting, or requiring enforcement of any regulation or indirect source rule addressing pollution from mobile sources at public seaports that are already subject to state board regulation. This is a significant preemption of local air district authority over port-related mobile sources.

The bill's title and scope expanded from solely 'relating to ports' to also cover 'air pollution,' reflecting the addition of the South Coast district preemption provision.

Added a voluntary agreement mechanism as an alternative to the prohibited rules. The agreement must: involve stakeholder discussions before adoption, not cap or limit port operations, not use public funds to promote automated or remotely operated equipment, may result in human-operated zero-emission equipment, not encroach on port or city control, and not assert control over sources outside port/city control. Must be entered into by the Port of Long Beach Board, Port of LA Board, Mayors of both cities, and the South Coast district board.

The new Section 40453 sunsets on January 1, 2036, after which it is automatically repealed.

Added extensive new legislative findings (approximately 40 lines) establishing context including: ports are among the cleanest in the world with major emissions reductions since 2005, all port mobile sources are already under state board regulation, the South Coast district's proposed indirect source rule has no precedent, initial concepts included inflexible emissions caps that would limit cargo flow, and stakeholders oppose automated equipment in favor of human-operated zero-emission technology.

Fiscal committee and state-mandated local program designations changed from 'yes' to showing both 'yes no,' suggesting the fiscal analysis was updated or is pending for the new provisions.