This bill would prohibit the application of categorical exemption to a project for the development and operation of a data center, as defined. By increasing the duties of a lead agency in relation to the environmental review of a data center project, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would authorize the Governor to certify a data center project that is certified by the lead agency to meet specified conditions as an environmental leadership development project. The bill would require the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission to develop uniform statewide standards for those conditions for data centers, require regular compliance reporting by operators of data centers for those conditions, and initiate enforcement proceedings in the event of noncompliance with those conditions, as appropriate. The bill would also authorize the Governor to certify a geothermal powerplant meeting certain criteria as an environmental leadership development project. The bill would require the quantification and mitigation of impacts for emissions of greenhouse gases of a data center project in the same manner as those certain environmental leadership projects.
 By increasing the duties of a lead agency, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.