The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 considered a request from the California Air Resources Board to convert limited‑term positions to permanent roles and to secure ongoing contract funding to implement SB905, the law that directs CARB to establish a program for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

Matt Botill (Division Chief, CARB) and other CARB staff told the committee that the 2023 Budget Act authorized nine limited‑term positions and $3.6 million over three years to begin work on SB905. CARB said it has struggled to recruit and retain staff in those limited‑term roles and is now requesting permanent positions that were part of its original 2023 request. CARB described the work as requiring regulatory expertise and technical knowledge about CCUS and direct air capture; a CARB manager said, “regulatory experience in California…is a pretty specialized skill,” and candidates with that background are usually in permanent state positions.

Committee members pressed CARB on how the authorized staff have spent their time to date, noting three people had been listed as working on the program for roughly 3,000 hours and asking what had been accomplished. CARB replied that staff had used that time for recruitment, contract work with national laboratories, a contractor technology review, community benefits work with the Foundation for California Community Colleges, and preparatory work for permit‑related analysis and a centralized project database.

On timing, CARB said it would initiate formal rulemaking if the Legislature authorizes permanent resources but emphasized rulemakings are dependent on public input and the scope of comments. CARB estimated a one‑to‑two year timeframe to advance rulemaking after resources are authorized, but cautioned that public engagement could extend that timeline. CARB also said SB905 requires it to develop monitoring, reporting and public databases, and to adopt financial‑responsibility and permitting frameworks that involve other agencies and local air districts.

Members and LAO suggested caution: the Legislative Analyst’s Office raised no technical objection to funding but emphasized the committee should scrutinize staffing levels, the pace of deliverables and whether contract funds had produced commensurate public outputs. Public commenters with environmental justice organizations said they supported funding for implementation but urged that no new projects proceed without the community protections SB905 requires.

The subcommittee did not take an immediate vote. Members asked CARB to provide updated timelines and a clearer accounting of completed deliverables, and they urged continued stakeholder engagement in communities potentially affected by CCUS projects.