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.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030.
This bill would revise the definition of "pipeline," for purposes of the act, to include intrastate pipelines used for the transportation of carbon dioxide. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal, by April 1, 2026, to adopt regulations governing the safe transportation of carbon dioxide in pipelines that are equivalent to certain draft regulations issued by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on January 10, 2025. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal to amend those regulations, as provided. The bill would authorize the State Fire Marshal, for a pipeline transporting carbon dioxide, to order a pipeline shutdown for violations of state or federal laws, or if continued pipeline operations present an immediate danger to the public 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, at least once every 5 years, to assess the additional safety standards and to amend the regulations to increase the safety standards. The bill would require that to be recognized by the state board for meeting any requirement under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, carbon dioxide transported by pipeline be transported only by pipelines meeting or exceeding the standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal.
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 limit the language restricting the transportation of carbon dioxide by pipelines only to federally regulated interstate pipelines. The bill would require that intrastate pipelines be used to transport carbon dioxide to or from carbon dioxide capture, removal, or sequestration projects only after the State Fire Marshal adopts its regulations pursuant to the bill and only once the project operator demonstrates that the pipelines meet the standards in those regulations.
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
04/23/25 - Amended Senate: 51010 GOV, 51010.5 GOV, 51018.6 GOV, 71465 PRC
05/05/25 - Amended Senate: 51010 GOV, 51010.5 GOV, 51018.6 GOV, 71465 PRC
07/10/25 - Amended Assembly: 51010 GOV, 51010.5 GOV, 51018.6 GOV, 71465 PRC