AB3238

August 27, 2024

AB 3238 was reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday, August 16, 2024, where it was determined “suspended” and would not move on to the Governor’s desk. This is a victory for DPT and the continued protection of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and other protected lands. You can read all the details on the progression of the Bill here along with Videos of testimony and committee reviews.

However, our fight is not over as there are more streamlining efforts underway with General Order 131-D. You can learn more about our involvement on our projects page.

August 1, 2024

As a result of Anza-Borrego Foundation's (ABF) efforts, attendance at the July 3 Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality hearing, and the Desert Protective Trust's support, AB 3238 was amended to remove the CEQA exemption for rights of way. The amendment fully eliminates the CEQA exemption, strikes the existing rebuttable presumption—which deemed utility projects to be so important as to override environmental concerns—and includes placeholder language from the settlement agreement between the CEC, CAISO and the CPUC, written with the goal of streamlining the process for electrification projects. You can watch the hearing here.