Senate Natural Resources and Water committee advances bills on river protections, data‑center water use, wetlands, farmland access and wildfire preparedness

The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee met as a subcommittee and heard testimony on 15 bills touching on river protections, data‑center water demand, stewardship of conserved lands, water system wildfire hardening, fishing gear restrictions, coastal carbon mitigation, farmland access, workforce pathways from conservation camps into firefighting, streamlined permitting for local wildfire preparedness projects, and narrow temporary protections for small community water systems and managed wetlands under SGMA.

Assembly members and stakeholders delivered detailed technical testimony across the agenda. Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s predecessor’s statute (identified in testimony as AB 2975) and the federal National Wild and Scenic Rivers System were cited frequently in the morning’s first panel on state authority to protect rivers.

Most bills were presented by their authors or by designated witnesses, followed by witnesses from conservation groups, local governments, water agencies, business associations and fishing interests. Committee members questioned authors on scope, cost, and legal authorities, and several measures were continued by roll call for further action in appropriations, local government, agriculture, public safety or other committees.

Votes at a glance (committee action and next committee): - AB 43 (Schultz) — would make permanent a state administrative backstop so federally protected Wild and Scenic Rivers could be added to the California Wild and Scenic River System if federal protections were removed. Recommendation: due pass to Appropriations. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 93 (Pappin) — would require data centers to self‑certify expected and actual water use at permitting/renewal and direct the Department of Water Resources to develop best management practices for data‑center water efficiency. Recommendation: due pass to Local Government. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 900 (Pappin) — requires the Natural Resources Agency to report on stewardship needs for lands protected under California’s 30x30 goals and recommend strategies to fund and staff ongoing stewardship. Recommendation: due pass to Appropriations. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 367 (Bennett) — a Ventura County district bill requiring basic wildfire hardening measures for water systems (filling tanks during red‑flag warnings, backup power, and fire‑hardened pump housing) with implementation flexibility; recommended due pass as amended to Local Government. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 1056 (author listed as “Assemblymember Bennett” during hearing; bill presented as “assembly bill 10 56”) — phases out state gillnet permits with a long transition and limited transfers, aimed at reducing bycatch; recommended due pass to Appropriations. Substantial testimony from conservation groups in support and commercial fishing groups in opposition. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 399 (Warner) — authorizes the California Coastal Commission to consider blue carbon demonstration projects and carbon sequestration as a potential coastal mitigation factor; recommended due pass as amended to Appropriations. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 524 (Wilson) — creates a statewide land access program at the Department of Conservation to help beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers secure land tenure (using Prop 4 funding foundation); recommended due pass to Agriculture. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 1380 (Connolly) — creates a permanent pathway for formerly incarcerated individuals who served on CAL FIRE conservation camps to receive certificates and better access to firefighting careers; recommended due pass to Public Safety. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 846 (Connolly) — streamlines consultation timelines between local agencies and the Department of Fish and Wildlife for vegetation‑management projects in Local Responsibility Areas, and allows five‑year incidental‑take permits for approved wildfire preparedness work; recommended due pass as amended to Appropriations. (Moved; roll called.) - AB 929 (Connolly) — temporary narrow exemptions and reporting requirements intended to protect small community water systems and managed wetlands from immediate SGMA pumping reductions while GSPs are revised; recommended due pass as amended to Appropriations. (Moved; roll called.)

What committee members and witnesses emphasized - River protections (AB 43): Author and conservation witnesses said the bill does not add new rivers beyond those already in the federal Wild and Scenic River System; it preserves a state administrative backstop if federal protection is removed. Supporters framed it as narrowly targeted, with bipartisan Assembly support and no registered opposition at the hearing. - Data centers and water (AB 93): Supporters urged local governments should have better information on expected and actual data‑center water consumption; witnesses cited large potable water use statistics and encouraged best practices. Tech industry groups and data center trade groups testified in respectful opposition concerned about cost and regulatory overlap; the author said she will refine definitions and remove a cost‑of‑service requirement. - Stewardship for conserved lands (AB 900): Conservation and land‑trust witnesses said acquisition alone is not enough and that funding and workforce planning for stewardship are needed to preserve biodiversity and public access under California’s 30x30 goal. - Wildfire hardening of small water systems (AB 367): The author described district lessons from Ventura County wildfires and proposed practical steps (tanking strategy during red flags, backup generation, hardened pump housing). Opponents—cities and water agency groups—asked for clearer funding sources, liability protections, and implementation timelines; the author said he had surveyed local districts and sought FEMA and grant options to reduce rate impacts. - Fishery gear and gillnets (AB 1056): Conservation witnesses described bycatch data and examples where phase‑outs led to gear transitions and species recoveries; commercial fishing organizations said the Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Wildlife already regulate the fishery and argued legislative intervention could circumvent the established process and harm coastal fishing families. - Managed wetlands and small systems under SGMA (AB 929): Sponsors and environmental groups said managed wetlands and small community water systems are highly vulnerable and make up a small share of basin use; the bill would temporarily protect historical use for these users while GSAs and DWR improve plans. Agricultural and water‑user groups opposed unless amended, arguing SGMA’s basin‑wide approach must apply equally to all pumpers and that carving out uses will raise the burden for others and risk sustainability targets.

Next steps Most measures were advanced to the next committee with recommendations as noted above (Appropriations, Local Government, Agriculture, Public Safety). Several authors said they will continue stakeholder work to address cost, scope, and implementation questions in subsequent committees.

Sources: Committee hearing transcript and public witness testimony presented on the committee record.