SB 819 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Geothermal waste: exemption from generation and handling fees: study.

Summary

The hazardous waste control laws require the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to regulate the handling and management of hazardous waste and hazardous materials. A violation of the hazardous waste control laws is a crime. Existing law requires a generator of hazardous waste to pay to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration a generation and handling fee for each generator site that generates a specified amount of waste, as provided, and authorizes DTSC to adopt regulations necessary to implement generator fees. Existing law exempts geothermal waste resulting from drilling for geothermal resources from the hazardous waste control laws for a specified reason. Existing law also exempts geothermal waste, excluding filter cake, that is generated from the exploration, development, or production of geothermal energy and that does not result from drilling for geothermal resources, from the hazardous waste control laws under specified circumstances. This bill would require the DTSC to prepare and submit to the Legislature, no later than July 1, 2026, a study regarding the issues that would arise if geothermal waste that is not exempt from generation and handling fees pursuant to existing law is made exempt from those fees.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/26/25 - Amended Senate → SB819 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made between these two versions. The diff reflects a change in document presentation format: the 'from' version is a formatted legislative document with line numbers, while the 'to' version is a web page rendering of the same bill text with navigation elements and search functionality added. The actual statutory language of Section 25138 (requiring DTSC to study geothermal waste fee exemptions by July 1, 2026) and Section 21000 (nonsubstantive CEQA findings amendments) is identical in both versions.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted from a numbered legislative document layout to a web page presentation. Line numbers were removed, website navigation elements (search, links, subscriptions) were added, and the header was changed from 'AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 26, 2025' to a title line. No changes to the actual statutory language.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

upper

Apr 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 867.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on E.Q.

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Mar 12, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors