The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board

Mar 2, 2026 - Supreme Court decision — Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( Sackett ) —narrowed the definition of WOTUS. The ruling limits federal jurisdiction to relatively permanent bodies of water and to wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to WOTUS.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

The Bay-Delta Plan and Voluntary Agreements: Ensuring Effective Legislative Oversight

Mar 18, 2026 - SWRCB (rather than a regional board) manages the Bay ‑Delta Plan because the watershed spans multiple regions and sets flow requirements. Regulating flows often affects water rights, which only the state board has the authority to manage.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2025-26 Budget: State Mandate—Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board

May 5, 2025 - Develop a pilot program to control pollutant discharges from common interest areas and areas managed by homeowner associations or management companies. Many Additional Stormwater-Related Test Claims Pending Before the Commission.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5039

The 2026-27 Budget: Framework for Approaching the Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture Budget

Feb 10, 2026 - That decision ( Sackett v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ) narrowed federal Clean Water Act protections, thereby indirectly shifting regulatory responsibilities for certain bodies of water to the state under state law.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116

The 2026-27 Budget: Permitting Support at the State Water Resources Control Board [Publication Details]

Mar 2, 2026 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s proposal for new positions and associated funding at the State Water Resources Control Board to manage increased workload stemming from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/5144

Options for Creating a Forestry Management Training Center

Jan 4, 2022 - Options for Creating a Forestry Management Training Center Conclusion Summary The Supplemental Report of the 2021 ‑22 Budget Act requires our office to develop options for the Legislature to consider for creating a forestry management training center in Northern California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4487

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection

Oct 16, 2025 - In addition, the budget approves planning dollars for multibenefit urban stormwater management and water data management. Covers Groundwater Management Costs With Special Fund Loan. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requires SWRCB to pay for its SGMA-related costs with revenues from fees it imposes on groundwater extractors.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5080

The 2022-23 Budget: Oil Well Abandonment and Remediation

Jan 31, 2022 - Uses Contractors to Manage Projects, Investigate, and Implement Projects. CalGEM  would use the total proposed funding to hire three types of external contractors: (1)  $10  million for a construction management contractor to manage the remediation projects, (2) $20  million for a contractor to conduct financial obligations and land ownership research, and (3) $160  million for contractors to plug wells and decommission facilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4508

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Agriculture

Dec 15, 2021 - AMMP provides up to 100  percent of the total cost to implement alternative manure management practices, with a maximum grant of  $750,000. Specifically, AMMP funds technologies and specific management practices that increase the amount of manure that is managed in dry form, thus limiting the amount of methane emissions that result from manure being stored in anaerobic conditions.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4483

Assessing California’s Climate Policies—Agriculture [Publication Details]

Dec 15, 2021 - Chapter 135 of 2017 (AB 398, E. Garcia) requires our office to annually report on the economic impacts and benefits of California’s statutory greenhouse gas emission targets.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4483