CA AB2595

Requires the Ocean Protection Council to report to the Legislature by December 31, 2014, on opportunities for improving statewide permitting processes for seawater desalination facilities and recommend administrative and legislative actions.

Establishes the Seawater Desalination Permit Improvement Task Force, chaired by a council member selected by the Ocean Protection Council chair, to review permitting processes across state regulatory agencies and identify improvements.

Task force shall include representatives from state agencies (Department of Water Resources, State Water Resources Control Board, California Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission, Department of Public Health) and various stakeholders including environmental groups, water purveyors, labor organizations, and business groups.

Task force recommendations must focus on defining regulatory scope, eliminating redundancies, describing required data, improving agency communication, and ensuring changes maintain current regulatory protections.

Report shall sunset on January 1, 2018, and recommendations must accommodate new California Ocean Plan policies and the 2013 California Water Plan while considering desalination as part of a balanced water portfolio including conservation and recycling.