Sponsors (2)
The bill speeds and lowers the cost of permitting for Central Valley water projects—potentially improving water reliability—but does so by imposing tight one-year review deadlines that risk rushed or denied approvals, weakened environmental review, and greater burdens on federal agencies.
Utilities, local governments, and state governments will get faster and less costly CVP enhancement permit decisions because environmental reviews must be completed within one year and applicants can reuse prior review materials, reducing duplicative work and delays.
Rural communities and local governments in the Central Valley are likely to see quicker construction of groundwater recharge and storage projects, improving regional water reliability.
State and local governments and utilities may have projects denied or stalled if federal agencies cannot finish NEPA/ESA reviews within one year and applicants refuse to extend the timeline.
Rural communities and wildlife could face weaker protections because compressing complex NEPA and ESA section 7 reviews into a one-year deadline risks reducing the thoroughness of environmental analyses and species protections.
Federal agencies and their employees may face increased workload and costs to meet the new deadlines, potentially diverting staff or slowing other programs and imposing costs on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federal NEPA and ESA section 7 reviews for CVP enhancement project permits to be completed within one year or the permit must be extended with applicant approval or denied.
Requires that any federal permit for a Central Valley Project (CVP) enhancement project that triggers NEPA and ESA section 7 review be completed within one year of the applicant’s permit submission. If the reviewing agency cannot finish the environmental review in one year, the head of the permit-issuing agency must either grant an extension with the applicant’s approval or deny the permit; a denied applicant may reapply at any time and should receive prior review information to help expedite a new review to the extent allowed by law. Applies to CVP enhancement projects such as groundwater recharge, aquifer storage, and water source substitution projects and defines “environmental review” to include NEPA and ESA section 7 obligations. The measure focuses on accelerating permit timelines rather than changing environmental standards or providing funding.
Introduced December 11, 2025 by Adam Gray · Last progress December 11, 2025