(a) By July 30, 2019, and annually thereafter, the Department of Conservation, in consultation with the State Water Resources Control Board, shall report to the fiscal and relevant policy committees of the Legislature on the Underground Injection Control Program. The report shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following about activities in the previous 12 months:

(1) The number and location of underground injection control project approvals issued by the department, including projects that were approved but subsequently lapsed without having commenced injection.

(2) The monthly average number of pending project applications.

(3) The average length of time to obtain an underground injection control project approval from date of receipt of complete application to the date of issuance.

(4) The average amount of time to review an underground injection control project proposal by the division and the average combined review time by the State Water Resources Control Board and regional water quality control boards for each proposed underground injection control project.

(5) The number of project proposals pending for over one year.

(6) A list of pending aquifer exemptions, if any, and their status in the review process.

(7) The average length of time to process an aquifer exemption and the average amount of time to review a proposed aquifer exemption by the division and the average combined review time by the State Water Resources Control Board and regional water quality control boards for each aquifer exemption proposal.

(8) The number and description of underground injection control related violations identified.

(9) The number of enforcement actions taken by the department.

(10) The number of shut-in orders or requests to relinquish permits and the status of those orders or requests.

(11) The number, classification, and location of staff with work related to underground injection control.

(12) The number of staff vacancies for positions associated with underground injection control.

(13) Any state or federal legislation, administrative, or rulemaking changes to the program.

(14) The number of underground injection control projects reviewed for compliance with statutes and regulations in each district and a summary of findings from project reviews completed during the reporting period, including any steps taken to address identified deficiencies.

(15) The number of underground injection control projects that have not been reviewed for compliance with applicable statutes and regulations within the prior two years.

(16) Summary of significant milestones in their compliance schedule agreed to with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as indicated in the March 9, 2015, letter to the division and the state board from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, including, but not limited to, regulatory updates, evaluations of injection wells, and aquifer exemption applications.

(17) Summary of activities undertaken by the underground injection control review panel established pursuant to Section 46 of Chapter 24 of the Statutes of 2015.

(b) This section shall become inoperative on October 1, 2029, and, as of January 1, 2030, is repealed.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 848, Sec. 1. (AB 1526) Effective January 1, 2024. Section inoperative October 1, 2029. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.)