AB-399 • 2026

Coastal resources: coastal development permits: blue carbon demonstration projects.

Budget

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor: Boerner
Last action: 2026-01-22
Official status: Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included claims about the bill's aims and requirements that are not explicitly stated or implied by the provided official source material.

Coastal Resources: Blue Carbon Projects

This law allows the California Coastal Commission to approve projects that demonstrate how coastal areas can store carbon, and it requires developers harming certain coastal habitats to either build or contribute to such projects as part of their mitigation plan.

What This Bill Does

Authorizes the California Coastal Commission to permit blue carbon demonstration projects to show how these projects can capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Requires applicants with nonresidential projects that harm coastal wetlands, subtidal areas, intertidal zones, or marine ecosystems to build or contribute to a blue carbon project as part of their mitigation plan.

Who It Names or Affects

The California Coastal Commission
Applicants with nonresidential projects in coastal areas

Terms To Know

Blue carbon demonstration project: A project that demonstrates and quantifies the carbon sequestration potential of coastal and marine ecosystems.
Carbon sequestration: The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in natural systems to reduce greenhouse gases.

Limits and Unknowns

This bill requires appropriation before it can be implemented.
It is unclear if the governor's veto will be overridden by lawmakers.

Bill History

2026-01-22 California Legislative Information
Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
2025-10-01 California Legislative Information
Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2025-10-01 California Legislative Information
Vetoed by Governor.
2025-09-15 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 58. Noes 18. Page 3025.).
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 10. Page 2519.).
2025-09-02 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-08-29 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 29).
2025-07-07 California Legislative Information
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-06-25 California Legislative Information
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-24 California Legislative Information
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 24).
2025-06-11 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on N.R. & W.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-06-02 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 54. Noes 18. Page 1825.)
2025-05-27 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 3.) (May 23).
2025-04-09 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 3.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
Coauthors revised.
2025-02-18 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.
2025-02-05 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 7.
2025-02-04 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 399, Boerner.
Coastal resources: coastal development permits: blue carbon demonstration projects.
Existing law, the California Coastal Act of 1976, among other things, requires anyone wishing to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone, except as specified, in addition to obtaining any other permit required by law from any local government or from any state, regional, or local agency, to obtain a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission or local government, as provided.
This bill, upon appropriation, would authorize the commission to authorize blue carbon demonstration projects, as defined, in order to demonstrate and quantify the carbon sequestration potential of these projects to help inform the state’s
natural and working lands and climate resilience strategies. The bill, upon appropriation, would, among other things, authorize the commission to require an applicant with a nonresidential project that impacts coastal wetland, subtidal, intertidal, or marine habitats or ecosystems to build or contribute to a blue carbon demonstration project as mitigation for those impacts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Download Bill PDF