CA AB1611

Establishes permit application fees for endangered species authorizations, with graduated fees of $6,000-$30,000 based on project cost and conservation bank usage, deposited in new Endangered Species Permitting Account.

Increases civil penalties for streambed alteration violations to $25,000 per violation and criminal penalties for taking endangered species to $25,000-$50,000 fine or up to one year jail time, with fines split between county and Endangered Species Permitting Account.

Increases environmental license plate fees to $53 for issuance and $43 for renewal (effective July 1, 2017), and raises environmental laboratory accreditation fees to be set by emergency regulation to recover all reasonable regulatory costs.

Authorizes Department of Water Resources to use design-build procurement for Salton Sea projects and requires reporting on natural gas tracking infrastructure and methane emissions modeling by State Air Resources Board.

Increases water rights regional board member compensation from $100 to $250 per day with annual cap of $378,250, eliminates flat fee option for hazardous waste permits requiring cost reimbursement agreements, and extends oil spill response fund suspension of fees to June 30, 2019.