California passes bill to include geothermal in streamlined certification program
Northern California Power Agency’s (NCPA) geothermal power plant at The Geysers in the Mayacamas Mountains of Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California. (source: SLB)
Carlo Cariaga
15 Oct 2025
A new bill has been signed into law in California that designates geothermal projects as eligible for a streamlined approval process under the CEQA.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law Assemby Bill 531, which seeks to include geothermal projects under the classification of “environmental leadership development projects,” and thus subject to a streamlined approval process under the California Environment Quality Act (CEQA).
The Act (sponsored by Rogers-D and Papan-D) amends Section 25545 of the Public Resources Code, which already grants the benefits to solar PV, wind power, energy storage, and hydrogen production facilities. Under the existing law, the Energy Commission’s certification is in lieu of any permit, certificate, or similar document required by any governmental agency and supersedes any applicable statute, ordinance, or regulation, except as specified.
At the same legislative session, Newsom however vetoed another bill that sought to fast-track the approval process for geothermal exploration drilling. This refers to Assembly Bill 257 (also sponsored by the same representatives), which sought to allow “geothermal exploratory projects” to be granted wholesale CEQA exemptions provided that they meet certain conditions as determined by the Geologic Energy Management Division (GEMD).
Newsom stated that the GEMD would need to substantially increase its fees on geothermal operators to implement the new requirements imposed by the bill. The Governor also said that it would be prudent to understand the effects of the changes brought about by the signing of AB 1359 last year, which designates counties as the lead agencies for environmental review of geothermal projects, before more wholesale exemptions are implemented.
Source: Utility Dive and Legiscan
