SB 614: Public resources: transportation of carbon dioxide.
This bill amends existing laws to regulate the transportation of carbon dioxide through intrastate pipelines. It requires the state fire marshal to adopt regulations governing the safe transportation of carbon dioxide, including safety standards and emergency planning requirements. The bill prohibits the approval of pipelines for carbon dioxide transportation if they were originally constructed for other purposes and requires operators to submit emergency planning zone inventories and maps to local governments. The bill also authorizes the state fire marshal to order pipeline shutdowns for violations and requires lead agencies to prepare environmental impact reports for projects that include carbon dioxide pipeline construction. Additionally, the bill provides funding for fire responder training and makes legislative findings regarding the limitation of access to public meetings and wri…
| Oct. 10, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 529, Statutes of 2025. |
| Oct. 10, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep. 23, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m. |
| Sep. 13, 2025 | Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 3021.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Sep. 12, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 3359.) Ordered to the Senate. |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:SEC. 2.
Section 51010 of the Government Code is amended to read:51010.
It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this chapter, that the State Fire Marshal shall exercise exclusive safety regulatory and enforcement authority over intrastate carbon dioxide and hazardous liquid pipelines and, to the extent authorized by agreement between the State Fire Marshal and the United States Secretary of Transportation, may act as agent for the United States Secretary of Transportation to implement the federal Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979 (49 U.S.C. Sec. 60101 et seq.) and federal pipeline safety regulations as to those portions of interstate pipelines located within this state, as necessary to obtain annual federal certification.SEC. 3.
Section 51010.5 of the Government Code is amended to read:51010.5.
As used in this chapter, the following definitions apply:SEC. 4.
Section 51011.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:51011.5.
(a) (1) (A) On or before July 1, 2026, the State Fire Marshal shall adopt regulations governing the safe transportation of carbon dioxide in pipelines that are, at a minimum, as protective as the draft federal regulations set forth in the unofficial version of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on January 10, 2025, pursuant to rulemaking (RIN 2137-AF60) regarding the minimum federal safety standards for transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline (Parts 190 to 199, inclusive, of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations).SEC. 5.
Section 51011.6 is added to the Government Code, to read:51011.6.
(a) An operator shall not be permitted to construct a pipeline to transport carbon dioxide in a location where one or more sensitive receptors are located within the emergency planning zone unless an analysis based on validated, engineering-based computational fluid dynamics modeling that assesses the potential for one or more sensitive receptors to be harmed by exposure to carbon dioxide from a pipeline rupture determines that the risk of exposure to carbon dioxide is within an acceptable range as determined by the lead agency, as defined in Section 21067 of the Public Resources Code.SEC. 6.
Section 51015.06 is added to the Government Code, to read:51015.06.
(a) (1) An operator of a pipeline transporting carbon dioxide shall submit to the State Fire Marshal and the public agency that is the lead agency for the project that includes the pipeline for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code) an emergency planning zone inventory and map that includes all of the following:SEC. 7.
Section 51018.6 of the Government Code is amended to read:51018.6.
(a) The State Fire Marshal shall adopt regulations for conducting enforcement proceedings pursuant to this section. These regulations shall include provisions for the service and the content of the notice of probable violation, response options, conduct of hearings, issuing of the final order, amended final order, and petitions for reconsideration and compromise of penalties, and shall be consistent with the procedures specified in Subpart B (commencing with Section 190.201) of Part 190 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.SEC. 8.
Section 51018.9 is added to the Government Code, to read:51018.9.
For a pipeline transporting carbon dioxide, all of the following shall apply:SEC. 9.
Section 39741.7 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:39741.7.
To be recognized by the state board for a requirement adopted pursuant to Division 25.5 (commencing with Section 38500), carbon dioxide transported by pipeline shall be transported only using pipelines that meet or exceed the standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 51011.5 of the Government Code.SEC. 10.
Section 116375 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:116375.
The department shall adopt regulations it determines to be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The regulations shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:SEC. 11.
Section 21087 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:21087.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:SEC. 12.
Section 71465 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:71465.
(a) (1) An interstate pipeline subject to Part 195 (commencing with Section 195.0) of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations shall be used to transport carbon dioxide to or from a carbon dioxide capture, removal, or sequestration project only after the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has concluded the rulemaking (RIN 2137-AF60) regarding minimum federal safety standards for transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline (Parts 190 to 199, inclusive, of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations) and the carbon dioxide capture, removal, or sequestration project operator demonstrates that the pipeline meets those standards.SEC. 13.
The Legislature finds and declares that Section 6 of this act, which adds Section 51015.06 to the Government Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:SEC. 14.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because a local agency or school district has the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by this act or because costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.