Pub. Resources Code, § 6212

(a) Upon appropriation of moneys by the Legislature for the purposes of this section, the commission shall, within two years, administer a coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program to do all of the following:

(1) Complete an assessment of legacy oil and gas wells and other coastal hazards along the California coastline, including conducting aerial surveys and dives, and determining high-priority hazards and legacy oil and gas wells to remediate.

(2) Survey, study, and monitor oil seepage in state waters and tidelands under its jurisdiction to determine oil seepage locations, rates, and environmental impacts, and partner with experts to facilitate innovative solutions.

(3) In cooperation with the Geologic Energy Management Division, begin the process of remediating improperly abandoned legacy oil and gas wells that have a high risk of leaking oil and are hazardous to public health and safety and the environment.

(b) Notwithstanding Section 11005 of the Government Code and any other law requiring approval by a state officer of gifts, bequests, devises, or donations, the commission may seek and accept on behalf of the state any gift, bequest, devise, or donation whenever the gift and the terms and conditions thereof will aid in actions undertaken pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c) (1) On or before January 1 of each year, until January 1, 2026, the commission shall submit a report to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the activities and accomplishments of the program for the prior year. The commission may include this information in the annual report it submits pursuant to Section 8618.

(2) (A) On or before January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees in the Legislature, including, at minimum, all of the following:

(i) The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water.

(ii) The Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

(iii) The Senate Committee on Appropriations.

(iv) The Senate Budget Subcommittee 2 on Resources, Environmental Protection, Energy and Transportation.

(v) The Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.

(vi) The Assembly Committee on Appropriations.

(vii) The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 3 on Resources and Transportation.

(B) The report submitted pursuant to this paragraph shall cover the life of the program and shall include information necessary to aid the Legislature in determining the effectiveness of the coastal hazard and legacy oil and gas well removal and remediation program and the extent to which funding for the program should be reauthorized. At minimum, the report shall include the following information:

(i) Activities and accomplishments of the program.

(ii) Implementation challenges and, to the extent available, potential solutions to these challenges.

(iii) Program expenditures.

(iv) The amount of any gift, bequest, devise, or donation accepted by the commission on behalf of the state pursuant to subdivision (b), and the name, location, and organization type of the donor. The commission may provide aggregate information for some or all of the donations, if appropriate, as determined by the commission.

(v) Recommendations on whether the program should be reauthorized, any changes that should be included in the reauthorizing legislation, and activities and priorities for the program after July 1, 2028, if the program is reauthorized.

(d) The commission shall prioritize its activities under this section based on available resources.

(e) For purposes of this section the following definitions apply:

(1) “Coastal hazards” are legacy oil and gas wells and human-made structures that have been orphaned, including piers, jetties, groins, seawalls, and facilities associated with past oil extraction and other operations, that pose a hazard to public health and safety. Coastal hazards may include, but are not limited to, wood or steel piles or piling, sheet metal pilings, H piles and H beams, well casings, well caissons, railroad irons, cables, angle bars, pipes, pipelines, rip rap, and wood beams and structures.

(2) “Legacy oil and gas wells” are wells drilled before current abandonment standards, where there is little or no information on the well’s abandonment procedure and there is no viable company with the responsibility to reabandon the well should it start leaking or pose a threat to the environment or to public health and safety.

(f) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2028, and, as of January 1, 2029, is repealed.