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SB 981

Administrative regulations: standardized regulatory impact analysis: State Air Resources Board.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Jones and 1 co-sponsor

SB 981 requires California's Air Resources Board to conduct standardized regulatory impact analyses before adopting new administrative regulations, increasing transparency and potentially slowing rule implementation.

May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
#administrativeregulations #stateairresourcesboard #standardizedregulatoryimpactanalysis
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Bill Summary · SB 981

Legislative bill overview

SB 981 would require the California State Air Resources Board (CARB) to conduct standardized regulatory impact analyses before implementing new administrative regulations. The bill appears designed to establish consistent methodology and transparency requirements for how CARB evaluates the economic and environmental effects of its regulatory decisions.

Why is this important

CARB is one of California's most consequential regulatory agencies, setting air quality standards and emissions rules that affect businesses, consumers, and public health. Requiring standardized impact analyses could increase transparency in rule-making while potentially slowing regulatory implementation if analysis requirements become burdensome. This touches on the ongoing tension between environmental protection and economic compliance costs.

Potential points of contention

  • Regulatory burden vs. transparency: Opponents may argue standardized analyses delay necessary environmental protections, while supporters contend they prevent economically harmful over-regulation
  • Methodology disputes: Disagreement over which economic metrics, time horizons, and assumptions should be "standardized" in impact analyses
  • Scope ambiguity: Unclear whether this applies to emergency regulations, guidance documents, or only formal rulemaking—with significant implications for CARB's operational flexibility

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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