20250SB__065499INT INTRODUCED 2025-02-20 SB INT Introduced by Senator Stern LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Stern

An act to amend

Section of the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental protection. environmental protection California Environmental Protection Agency: contract: registry: greenhouse gas emissions that result from the water-energy nexus. Existing law establishes the California Environmental Protection Agency in state government and requires the agency to oversee the development of a registry for greenhouse gas emissions that result from the water-energy nexus using the best available data. Existing law provides that participation in the registry is voluntary and open to any entity conducting business in the state.

Existing law authorizes the agency to enter into a contract with a qualified nonprofit organization to do specified things, including to recruit broad participation in the registry from all economic sectors and regions of the state. Existing law limits the term of the term of the contract to years, except as provided.

This bill would instead require the agency to oversee the administration of the above-described registry and would authorize the agency to enter into a new contract, limited to a term of years and with a total budget of $2,000,000, to do specified things, including to recruit broad participation in the registry from all economic sectors and regions of the state to meet the different needs of water users throughout the state by various means, as provided. The bill would remove obsolete language related to the development of the registry, as provided.

MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 71422. (a)

(1) The agency shall oversee the administration of a registry for greenhouse gas emissions that result from the water-energy nexus using the best-available data.

(2) Participation in the registry shall be voluntary and open to any entity conducting business in the state. A participating entity may register its emissions, including emissions generated outside of the state, on an entitywide basis and may utilize the services of the registry. (

b) The agency may enter into a contract with a qualified nonprofit organization to do all of the following: (1)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Develop, in consultation with the agency and other relevant state agencies, the registry through a public stakeholder process, as determined by the agency. In developing the registry, the chosen qualified nonprofit organization shall consider greenhouse gas emissions accounting methodologies developed as part of programs authorized pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (Division 25.5 (commencing with

Section 38500) of the Health and Safety Code).</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(2)</xhtml:p>"?>

(1) Help participating entities in the state to establish emissions baselines. (3)</xhtml:p>"?>

(2) Encourage voluntary actions to increase water and energy efficiency measures to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the state’s water system. (4)</xhtml:p>"?>

(3) Enable participating entities to record voluntary entitywide greenhouse gas emissions reductions in a consistent format that is supported by third-party verification. (5)</xhtml:p>"?>

(4) Recognize, publicize, and promote participating entities making voluntary reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. (6)</xhtml:p>"?>

(5) Recruit broad participation in the registry from all economic sectors and regions of the state to meet the different needs of water users throughout the state by various means, including, but not limited to, workshops, trainings, and other similar activities, technical support for reporting of emissions, and climate action planning to assist with reduction strategies and improve water and energy efficiency. (7)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Facilitate streamlined data reporting for relevant entities already reporting to the Climate Registry as part of its voluntary corporate greenhouse gas emissions reporting program.</xhtml:p>"?> (c) "?>The contract authorized pursuant to subdivision (b), as it read on January 1, 2025, shall be limited to a term of three years.

The contract authorized pursuant to subdivision (b), as amended pursuant to the bill adding this sentence, shall be limited to a term of three years and a total budget of two million dollars ($2,000,000). (2)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the term of the contract may be extended for one year upon the agreement of both parties to the contract.</xhtml:p>"?>