CA AB1849

Requires the State Air Resources Board to complete an assessment by December 31, 2027 of decarbonized gaseous fuel needs for hard-to-electrify sectors and electricity grid reliability

Mandates that policies and incentives for decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors be performance-based and technology neutral, using life-cycle carbon intensity as the metric

Reduces compliance obligations under the Cap-and-Invest Program for entities that purchase decarbonized gas

Directs the assessment to evaluate opportunities to use agricultural and forest residues for decarbonization, including wildfire mitigation, reduced pile burning, and landfill waste reduction

Requires consideration of how to incentivize in-state production of decarbonized gas while maximizing job creation and economic development benefits