By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday advanced Senate Bill 954, legislation aimed at restoring environmental review requirements for a broad range of industrial facilities that were exempted from review under legislation approved last year.
The measure, authored by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, would narrow exemptions created by SB 131, which supporters say allowed more than 75 categories of industrial facilities to bypass environmental review and public disclosure requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA.
The bill previously passed the California Senate on a 23-9 vote in March and now moves forward in the Assembly with support from a coalition of more than 125 labor, conservation, environmental justice and public health organizations.
According to supporters, SB 131 created exemptions for a wide array of facilities categorized as “advanced manufacturing,” including chemical production, battery manufacturing and metal recycling operations. SB 954 seeks to restore environmental review requirements for many of those projects.
Advocates for the legislation pointed to a recent chemical incident at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove as evidence of the need for environmental review and public disclosure. The incident forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents and prompted a federal emergency declaration.
Supporters argue that environmental review processes provide communities with critical information about potential risks before industrial facilities are approved and constructed.
“Communities in industrial corridors have lived with the consequences of unchecked pollution for generations, and Garden Grove showed everyone else what that looks like in real time,” said Jennifer Ganata, legal department co-director for Communities for a Better Environment.
Ganata added, “SB 954 doesn’t ask for anything radical — it asks that families get to know what’s being built near their homes and schools before it’s too late to do anything about it. The committee’s vote today is a step toward giving that right back to the people who lost it.”
Environmental advocates also argued that the exemptions created under SB 131 removed an important layer of transparency and oversight.
“Today’s vote recognizes what should have been obvious all along: you can’t fix what you don’t know about,” said Howard Penn, executive director of the Planning and Conservation League.
Penn criticized the scope of the existing exemption, stating, “SB 131’s exemption asked Californians to simply trust that 75-plus categories of industrial facilities would police themselves.”
He said SB 954 would restore public oversight by bringing projects back under established review procedures.
“SB 954 restores the basic disclosure and review process that lets communities, regulators, and companies catch problems before they become Superfund sites and nine-figure cleanup bills,” Penn said.
Supporters of the measure also cited public opinion data suggesting strong support for environmental review requirements. According to polling conducted by FM3 Research in March 2026, 72% of California voters approve of CEQA’s environmental review requirements, while 64% disapprove of the advanced manufacturing exemption established under SB 131. The polling reportedly found similar results across political parties, geographic regions and age groups.
The debate over SB 954 comes amid ongoing statewide discussions about balancing environmental protections with efforts to accelerate housing, infrastructure and industrial development. In recent years, lawmakers have approved a number of targeted CEQA exemptions intended to speed project approvals, while environmental groups have warned that broad exemptions can undermine transparency, public participation and environmental safeguards.
Supporters of SB 954 contend that restoring environmental review for industrial facilities is particularly important because such projects may involve hazardous materials, emissions or other environmental impacts that can affect surrounding neighborhoods. They argue that disclosure and review requirements help identify risks, improve project design and provide opportunities for public input before construction begins.
The Assembly Natural Resources Committee vote marks a significant step forward for the legislation as it continues through the Assembly process.
SB 954 will next be heard by the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee and the Assembly Appropriations Committee before it can be considered by the full Assembly. If approved by the Assembly without amendments, the bill would head to the governor’s desk. If amended, it would return to the Senate for concurrence before final consideration.
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