SB 237: Oil spill prevention: gasoline specifications: suspension: California Environmental Quality Act: exemptions: County of Kern: transportation fuels assessment: coastal resources.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

(1)The Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act generally requires the administrator for oil spill response, acting at the direction of the Governor, to implement activities relating to oil spill response, including emergency drills and preparedness, and oil spill containment and cleanup, and to represent the state in any coordinated response efforts with the federal government. Existing law requires the Governor to establish a California oil spill contingency plan that provides for an integrated and effective state procedure to combat the results of major oil spills within the state and that specifies state agencies to implement the plan. Existing law requires the administrator to adopt and implement regulations governing the adequacy of oil spill contingency plans to be prepared and implemented and requires the regulations to provide for the best achievable protection of coastal and marine waters. Existing law requires these regulations to permit the development, application, and use of an oil spill contingency plan for similar vessels, pipelines, terminals, and facilities within a single company or organization, and across companies and organizations. Existing law requires these regulations to ensure, among other things, standards for determining a reasonable worst case oil spill.

Under the act, the owner or operator of a facility where a spill could impact waters of the state is required apply for and obtain a certificate of financial responsibility issued by the administrator for the facility or the oil to be handled, stored, or transported by the facility.

This bill would require the administrator to publicly post a list of all applications for certificates of financial responsibility submitted by facility owners and operators on the internet website of the Office of Spill Prevention and Response and would require the posting to include specified information about applicants, including reasonable worst case spill volume of the facility to be covered by the certificate and the amount of financial responsibility demonstrated, as provided. This bill would, commencing January 15, 2027, and at least once every 10 years thereafter, require the administrator to solicit public input regarding both (A) the appropriateness of the reasonable worst case spill volumes for facilities and (B) the appropriateness of the financial responsibility requirements for facilities. The bill would require the supervisor, based on this feedback, to review and, as appropriate, revise the criteria and formulas for (A) calculating reasonable worst case spill volume and (B) calculating the financial assurances and setting the maximum amount of a certificate of financial responsibility necessary to respond to an oil spill, as provided.

(2)The Elder California Pipeline Safety Act of 1981 requires the State Fire Marshal to administer provisions regulating the inspection of intrastate pipelines used for the transportation of hazardous liquid. A violation of the act is a crime.

This bill would prohibit the restarting of an existing oil pipeline that is 6 inches or larger that has been idle, inactive, or out of service for 5 years or more without passing a spike hydrostatic testing program that meets the requirements established by the State Fire Marshal, as provided. By expanding the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require these tests to be performed by a qualified testing company, as provided. The bill would require the Office of the State Fire Marshal to promulgate regulations as necessary to implement these provisions. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to post on its public internet website information fully characterizing the parameters and results of each hydrostatic spike test performed, subject to any information deemed confidential and proprietary, no less than 30 calendar days after each hydrostatic spike test is conducted.

(3)Existing law authorizes the State Air Resources Board (state board) to adopt and implement motor vehicle fuel specifications for the control of air contaminants and sources of air pollution. Existing law requires the state board to establish, by regulation, maximum standards for the volatility of gasoline, as provided. Pursuant to these authorizations, the state board has adopted the California Reformulated Gasoline regulations establishing California-specific gasoline specifications for various regions of the state at specified time periods. Existing regulations also prohibit a person from selling, offering for sale, supplying, offering for supply, or transporting California gasoline that exceeds the applicable cap limit for Reid vapor pressure within each of specified air basins during various defined regulatory periods throughout the year.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 8

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. September 19, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 118, Statutes of 2025.
2. September 19, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. September 15, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
4. September 13, 2025Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 28. Noes 0. Page 3056.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
5. September 13, 2025In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
6. September 13, 2025Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 66. Noes 4. Page 3484.) Ordered to the Senate.
7. September 13, 2025Joint Rule 61(a)(14) and 51(a)(4) suspended. (Ayes 59. Noes 20. Page 3413.)
8. September 12, 2025Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 57. Noes 20. Page 3441.)
9. September 12, 2025From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 2.) (September 12).
10. September 10, 2025(Corrected September 10).
11. September 10, 2025Joint Rule 61 and 62(a) suspended. (Ayes 31. Noes 9. Page 2801.)
12. September 10, 2025Joint Rule 62(a) suspended.