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California 20252026

AB 2234

California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects.

Open original source Back to bills
Source: Open States / PluralUpdated 2026-09-12 13:12:55 UTC.

Official record

Measure details

Jurisdiction
California
Session
20252026
Chamber
lower
Classification
bill
Subjects
CaliforniaEnvironmentalQualityAct, geothermalexploratoryprojects
Introduced / first action
2026-02-19 00:00:00

Alternate titles

  • California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects: geothermal technology pilot projects: Geologic Energy Management Division.

Source-supplied abstracts

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if the lead agency finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. Existing law establishes the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation. Existing law requires the division to be the lead agency for all geothermal exploratory projects for purposes of CEQA, except as provided. Existing law defines "geothermal exploratory project," for purposes of CEQA, in part as a project composed of not more than 6 wells and associated drilling and testing equipment whose chief and original purpose is to evaluate the presence and characteristics of geothermal resources. Existing law requires wells included within a geothermal exploratory project to be located at least 12 mile from geothermal development wells that are capable of producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities. This bill would expressly include, as part of a geothermal exploratory project, equipment and activities necessary to establish interconnectivity between wells and reservoirs, as provided. The bill would specify that the above-described 12 mile limit is measured from all points along the wellhead location and well course, including the bottom of the well, as provided.

Sponsors

Source-supplied history

Actions

  1. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0.).

    amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  2. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  3. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  4. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  5. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  6. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-3

  7. From special consent calendar

  8. Ordered to special consent calendar.

  9. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  10. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2

  11. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage

  12. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  13. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  14. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 1).

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, referral-committee

  15. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on N.R. & W. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  16. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on E.Q.

    amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee

  17. Referred to Coms. on E.Q. and N.R. & W.

    referral-committee

  18. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1, referral-committee

  19. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 79. Noes 0.)

    passage, reading-1, reading-3

  20. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1, reading-2, reading-3

  21. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable

  22. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

    referral-committee

  23. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 6). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable, referral-committee

  24. Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.

    referral-committee

  25. From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  26. Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Documents and versions

Official links

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Related measures

No resolvable related measure is supplied.