California legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
California AB2234: California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects.
Status: Chaptered, September 30, 2026
What the bill says
An act to amend Section 21065.5 of the Public Resources Code, relating to geothermal resources. geothermal resources California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects. 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…
From the chaptered text, September 30, 2026:
An act to amend Section 21065.5 of the Public Resources Code, relating to geothermal resources. geothermal resources California Environmental Quality Act: geothermal exploratory projects. 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 …