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Committee advances bill to enable carbon‑capture pipelines with conditions; opponents pressed safety and equity concerns
Summary
AB 881 would direct the California State Fire Marshal to develop a regulatory framework that could allow lifting the state's moratorium on CO2 pipelines; the committee passed the bill to appropriations after supporters highlighted job creation and federal funding while opponents warned of safety and community impacts.
Assemblymember Petrie‑Norris presented AB 881, a bill to authorize the State Fire Marshal to build on draft federal guidance and establish state standards for carbon dioxide pipeline safety, enabling the state to lift a moratorium on CO2 pipelines while attempting to protect communities near pipeline routes.
Supporters including the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the California Carbon Solutions Coalition, and labor unions argued carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is needed to meet California’s near‑ and long‑term decarbonization goals and to access billions of dollars in federal funding. Steve Linz of SMUD described a local project to retrofit a gas plant with carbon capture that would reduce sizable emissions, provide dispatchable clean energy and support reliability; Scott Wetsch (California Carbon Solutions Coalition) said pipelines are necessary to transport captured CO2 to sequestration sites and to avoid “carbon islands” where emissions cannot be sequestered.
Opponents testified that CO2 pipelines are hazardous, pointing to failures elsewhere where dense CO2 releases caused asphyxiation risks. Environmental justice witnesses and Sierra Club argued the State Fire Marshal needs clearer direction and stronger rules than those in the bill as drafted, citing gaps in expertise for regulating supercritical CO2 and potential federal preemption of state authority. Central Valley Environmental Justice Network noted zip fracture concerns and emergency response challenges for dense CO2 clouds.
Committee members asked about worker protections, emergency response, and whether state rules should be in place before ending the moratorium. The author said amendments (accepted in committee) reflect ongoing work with stakeholders and that the bill remains intended to provide a path to safe project development and access to federal funds.
After amendments and discussion the committee voted to refer AB 881 to Appropriations for fiscal review (due pass recommendation).
