The California State Senate on Saturday approved AB 825, a bill that would authorize the state to enter a broader Western electricity market if participating jurisdictions and market rules meet specified consumer, environmental and oversight conditions.

Senator Becker, summarizing AB 825 on the floor, described it as “a bill that enables a Western energy market” after a decade of effort to coordinate electricity across Western states. Supporters argued a regional market could reduce costs — the bill cites an estimate of about $1 billion a year in savings — lower greenhouse-gas emissions, and increase reliability by allowing the region to share clean energy across balancing areas.

The measure, as explained on the floor, includes several safeguards designed to protect California’s authority to set procurement, environmental and reliability standards. It requires demonstration that the market will protect consumers, is voluntary for California participation and contains mechanisms that allow the state to exit if conditions are unsatisfactory, lawmakers said. The bill also requires legislative oversight and specified protections for each state’s procurement rules.

Senator Strickland and others supported the bill as an affordability measure, saying expanding the market will lower energy costs for Californians. Opponents did not mount sustained floor opposition during the recorded consideration; the clerk announced the roll-call result: “Ayes 34. Nos 0. The measure passes.”

Supporters said next steps include negotiating any joining agreements with neighboring jurisdictions and ensuring the statutory safeguards are reflected in any market governance documents.