The Assembly Natural Resources Committee spent much of its June 22 hearing debating SB 954, a cleanup bill for last year’s SB 131 advanced-manufacturing CEQA exemption.
According to the committee hearing summary and transcript, supporters argued that the 2024 exemption was too broad and that SB 954 would add guardrails such as setbacks from sensitive receptors, air-quality limits, labor standards and tribal-resource consultation. The bill would also exclude raw material extraction and fuel conversion, supporters said.
Business groups pushed back, warning that the same conditions could make the exemption difficult to use and discourage manufacturing investment in California. Opponents said the measure would add new barriers, including zoning limits and certification requirements, and could leave the exemption effectively unusable.
The hearing record shows the committee continued debating SB 954 after taking up other bills earlier in the meeting. The available materials document the policy split, but do not include the bill’s final disposition.
