Energy: transportation fuels: supply: reportable pipelines.

Senator Richardson's pipeline monitoring legislation would establish new reporting requirements for crude oil pipelines that supply California refineries, creating an early warning system for potential fuel supply disruptions. The State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission would work with refineries and pipeline operators through 2026 to identify pipelines whose shutdown could significantly impact refinery processing capacity. These "reportable pipelines" would submit monthly flow data to the commission beginning March 2027.

Under the measure, pipeline operators must notify the commission within 24 hours if flow rates drop to minimum throughput levels, potentially signaling an impending shutdown. The commission would then alert the Governor, key legislative committee chairs, and relevant emergency response agencies, while assessing possible gasoline supply impacts. The commission would develop standardized email reporting forms for operators to submit flow data and minimum throughput notifications. The collected pipeline data could only be used to evaluate potential supply disruptions, with explicit prohibitions on using it for refinery margin calculations or maintenance scheduling.