CA SB819

Requires the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to prepare and submit a study to the Legislature by July 1, 2026, examining issues that would arise if geothermal waste currently subject to generation and handling fees were made exempt from those fees

The study requirement will automatically become inoperative on July 1, 2030, and the article will be repealed on January 1, 2031

Geothermal waste from drilling for geothermal resources is already exempt from hazardous waste control laws under existing law, but other geothermal waste remains subject to generation and handling fees

The bill was amended from its original version, which made nonsubstantive changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to instead focus on geothermal waste fee exemption analysis