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

Mar 2, 2026 - (SWRCB estimates t hat exempting state-only permits from having to meet CEQA requirements would shorten their preparation time lines by at least a year.) Aligning Public Notification Requirements With Federal Processes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5144

Hydraulic Fracturing: How It Works and Recent State Oversight Actions

Dec 1, 2016 - Oil and natural gas drilling operations in California —including using both traditional and stimulation techniques —can yield significant amounts of water as a by-product. For example, some oil and natural gas wells produce more water —known as “produced ” water or “wastewater ” —than oil and natural gas.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3513

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

Mar 18, 2026 - For example, increasing freshwater flows into the Delta reduces ocean salinity intrusion. SWRCB regulates flows mainly by managing water rights, which control how much water can be diverted out of the waterbody.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5163

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive

Feb 24, 2026 - For example, the administration estimates that the majority of the $72  million left in the regional CC4A program as of January 2026 will be exhausted before the end of 2026 ‑27. The administration has not yet determined the extent to which this new proposed program could be used in combination with other existing programs (sometimes referred to as “stacking ”).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5140

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation Proposals

Mar 19, 2026 - LCI houses SGC, which coordinates work across various state departments and agencies and disburses grants to address statewide climate and land use issues such as extreme heat and sustainable communities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5167

The 2026-27 Budget: Proposed Elimination of State Environmental Positions

Feb 17, 2026 - In its letter to the administration, JLBC cited the various criteria upon which it based its review, which aimed to ascertain the potential negative impacts that eliminating these positions might have on a department’s ability to implement key priorities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5124

The 2026-27 Budget: Cap-and-Invest Expenditure Plan

Feb 10, 2026 - In 2026 ‑27, for example, under this approach roughly $1.75  billion is available for discretionary purposes prior to funding Tier 3 programs, of which the administration proposes to spend about $1.6  billion.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5114

Improving California's Forest and Watershed Management

Apr 4, 2018 - Examples include Community Wildfire Protection Plans, which some communities develop to identify forest fuel reduction priorities and other preventative measures. These plans are particularly common and encouraged by the federal and state governments in communities located adjacent to forestlands.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/3798

The 2026-27 Budget: Governor’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Tax Credit Proposal

Feb 24, 2026 - For example, the amount emitters recently have had to pay for each ton of carbon dioxide equivalent they emit through the cap ‑and ‑invest program has been below $30 per ton and LCFS credits have been between $50 and $70 per ton.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5139

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

Feb 10, 2026 - For example, the Legislature could reject the Governor ’s proposed budget augmentations to implement newly enacted legislation, which would result in some budget savings, and it could, if necessary, adopt new statute specifying delayed time frames or scaled back requirements.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5116