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May revision proposes climate bond adjustments and new energy permitting resources for battery storage and power plant certification
Summary
Department of Finance officials briefed the Senate subcommittee on May revision proposals affecting a climate bond and new staffing and fee changes for energy permitting. Finance said changes modestly adjust implementation plans, add $24.3 million in 2025–26 for wildfire and resilience program needs, and propose staffing increases at the PUC and C
Department of Finance briefers outlined a set of climate‑bond and energy‑sector proposals in the governor’s May revision. Stephen Benson and Eamon Nalband summarized adjustments to the state’s climate bond accounting, modest additional spending for wildfire and resilience programs, and proposed operational resources for energy permitting and enforcement.
On the climate bond, the administration reported small accounting adjustments to reflect earlier appropriations (AB 100) and requested $24.3 million in 2025–26 for programs with near‑term needs. Finance said the statewide bond‑cost activities budget would include $2.0 million in 2025–26 for statewide tracking, accounting and auditing functions and grow to $4.0 million annually across the lifetime of the bond; the bond is estimated to be about $75 million for the identified statewide cost activities.
In the energy space, the May revision proposes ongoing resources of about $2.9 million and 12 positions at the Public Utilities Commission to support compliance and enforcement for battery energy storage systems and energy generation facilities. At the California Energy Commission the proposal would add one‑time resources through 2028 of roughly $1.8 million and nine positions to support increased workload associated with power‑plant licensing, the opt‑in program and application for certification processes; the administration also proposed trailer language to modify fees that support the power‑plant facility certification programs.
Why it matters: State permitting and oversight capacity for large‑scale energy projects and battery storage systems has been a focal point as California expands renewable generation and storage. Increased staffing and fee adjustments aim to reduce permitting backlogs and enhance enforcement, while bond accounting and the small additional one‑time funds aim to support near‑term wildfire and resilience activities.
Next steps: Finance officials said their team is available to answer committee questions and that agency staff will provide further detail on the bond adjustments, the proposed positions and the fee‑modification trailer language.
