Oil Permitting Bill Advances in State Senate

AB 2711 by Assemblymember Stan Ellis advanced yesterday from the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, giving California producers another important step forward on permitting certainty.

The bill passed 5-1-1 on a “do pass as amended” motion and was re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Voting aye were Chair Josh Becker, Vice Chair Kelly Seyarto, and Senators Shannon Grove, John Laird, and Henry Stern. Senator Christopher Cabaldon voted no. Senator Ben Allen did not vote.

This was the same hearing where CIPA-sponsored AB 2716 also advanced, making it a productive day for practical oil and gas reforms in the upper house.

AB 2711 addresses one of the most basic problems facing California producers: permit applications cannot sit indefinitely without a clear answer. The bill creates a more disciplined process for CalGEM review of a notice of intention, commonly known as an NOI, by requiring the division to determine whether an application is complete within 10 working days.

If CalGEM determines the NOI is incomplete, the division must identify the missing or deficient items and cite the relevant legal authority requiring the information. The operator may then cure the deficiency and resubmit the NOI.

That is not radical. That is due process with a stopwatch.

Once the NOI is deemed complete, AB 2711 requires CalGEM to approve or deny the notice within 30 working days. If the division denies the NOI, it must provide a rational explanation for the denial. If CalGEM fails to act within the required timeline, the notice may be deemed approved, provided all necessary environmental and technical reviews are complete.

That last clause is important. AB 2711 does not eliminate environmental review, technical review, or CalGEM oversight. It simply says that once the reviews are complete, the agency must make a decision.

For producers, this bill would create predictability. For CalGEM, it would create accountability. For the state, it would help prevent the slow-motion loss of California production caused by indefinite delay, procedural uncertainty, and regulatory paralysis.

California continues to consume oil every day. The policy question remains whether that oil will be produced here by California workers under California’s strict labor, safety, and environmental standards, or imported from foreign countries that do not operate under those same rules.

AB 2711 helps answer that question the right way.

The bill has already shown meaningful momentum this year, having advanced through the Assembly policy and fiscal committee process before reaching the Senate. Its passage from Senate Natural Resources and Water moves it now to Senate Appropriations, where it is expected to be heard after the Legislature returns from summer recess.

CIPA will continue working with lawmakers, the author’s office, producers, and allied stakeholders to support AB 2711 as a practical permitting reform that improves transparency, strengthens accountability, and helps keep responsible California production alive.