CA SB858

Excludes emergency backup and standby generators from the definition of thermal powerplants that require State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission certification, provided they are not connected to the electrical grid and supply power to data centers during electrical outages.

Designates local land use authorities with jurisdiction over these generators as the lead agency for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and environmental review.

Clarifies that thermal powerplants do not include wind, hydroelectric, or solar photovoltaic facilities, or the specified emergency backup and standby generators for data centers.

Specifies that no state reimbursement is required for local agencies or school districts because they have authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments to cover the mandated program costs.