Under the Elder California Pipeline Safety Act of 1981, the State Fire Marshal exercises safety regulatory jurisdiction over intrastate pipelines used for the transportation of hazardous or highly volatile liquid substances. The act imposes various requirements in relation to the regulation of these intrastate pipelines. A person who willfully and knowingly violates the act or a regulation adopted pursuant to the act is, upon conviction, subject to a fine, imprisonment, or both a fine and imprisonment, as provided.
This bill would expand the regulation of intrastate pipelines under the act to intrastate pipelines used for the transportation of carbon dioxide by revising the definition of "pipeline" for purposes of the act to also include intrastate pipelines used for the transportation of carbon dioxide. The bill would prohibit the State Fire Marshal from permitting the transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline unless the applicant demonstrates that the transportation of carbon dioxide in a pipeline complies with certain draft federal regulations proposed by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and certain state laws. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to require additional safety standards, as specified. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to require an operator of a pipeline transporting carbon dioxide to cease operation of the pipeline if the operator is found to be in violation of the specified requirements or if continued pipeline operations present an immediate danger to the health, welfare, or the environment. Because a violation of the above provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to establish the Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Safety Advisory Committee, as provided, for purpose of providing the State Fire Marshal with recommendations regarding additional safety standards for pipelines transporting carbon dioxide and informing local agencies and pipeline operators transporting carbon dioxide of changes in applicable laws and regulations affecting the operating of pipelines and reviewing proposed carbon dioxide pipeline safety regulations.
Existing law assesses a civil penalty for a violation of the act or regulations adopted pursuant to the act. Existing law requires civil penalties assessed for violation, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be available to the State Fire Marshal to provide hazardous liquid fire suppression training to local fire departments.
This bill would additionally authorize the assessed civil penalties to be used to provide fire responder training for hazardous gas suppression training to local fire departments.
Existing law prohibits the use of pipelines to transport carbon dioxide to or from carbon dioxide capture, removal, or sequestration projects until the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has concluded a specified rulemaking regarding minimum federal safety standards for transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline and the project operator demonstrates that the pipelines meet those standards.
This bill would instead require pipelines used to transport carbon dioxide to or from carbon dioxide capture, removal, or sequestration projects to be in compliance with the requirements of these provisions.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Statutes affected:
SB 614: 10608.14 WAT
02/20/25 - Introduced: 10608.14 WAT
03/26/25 - Amended Senate: 51010 GOV, 51010 GOV, 51010.5 GOV, 51010.5 GOV, 51018.6 GOV, 51018.6 GOV, 71465 PRC, 71465 PRC, 10608.14 WAT