Existing law requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to adopt hazardous liquid pipeline safety regulations that comply with federal law regarding hazardous liquid pipeline safety. Existing law establishes certain recordkeeping and reporting requirements for hazardous liquid pipeline operators.

This bill would require the office to require that dedicated hydrogen pipelines, as defined, meet specified requirements. The bill would require the office to establish, on or before January 1, 2028, and enforce standards that meet or exceed those requirements, as provided.

The bill would require a dedicated hydrogen pipeline owner to maintain accurate operational records of hydrogen concentration levels within its dedicated hydrogen pipeline and any confirmed instances of leakage of hydrogen and, on or before March 30 of each year, to submit a report to the office detailing compliance with that requirement for the previous calendar year.

The bill would provide that its provisions do not limit the authority of the Public Utilities Commission to regulate the rates, services, or safety practices of public utilities, and clarify that, if there is a conflict between a provision of the bill and a provision adopted by the commission, the more protective provision applies.