The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) is looking for nearly $7 million in the 2026-27 budget cycle to continue its push to replace the aging, web-based California Environmental Reporting System (CERS).
Now about 15 years old, CERS must be updated for the agency to comply with recent legislation related to the collection and reporting of data from local government regulators, also known as Unified Program Agencies, according to the agency’s budget change proposal (BCP).
“CalEPA must replace the near-end-of-life technology supporting CERS to continue maintaining California's long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship,” the agency wrote in the budget request.
The agency is asking for $6.8 million in 2026-27 to overhaul CERS, along with continued funding for five permanent positions approved in the 2022 Budget Act.
Fifteen years old hardly makes CERS the most archaic platform in state service, but nonetheless, the agency reports that efforts to bring it up to more modern standards have fallen flat due to the application’s “aged technology and original XML schema.”
“These platforms cannot support continual updates to align with emerging legislation. These technologies also lack current security features,” the BCP reads. “CalEPA must refresh CERS and its technology to provide a stable platform that meets California's needs and aligns with modern security requirements.”
The gaps between legal mandates and system capabilities are especially evident in the monitoring of Underground Storage Tanks (UST), which is reported from the local level to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Federal funding, the agency noted, is at risk unless it can accurately report UST data under the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 to its federal counterpart.
The agency has invested $7.3 million in the next-gen CERS project since first starting in the 2024-25 budget year. That work included procurement activities, the acquisition of software and the addition of UST submittal tracking functionality. Phase two will focus on the addition of expanded functionality around environmental regulatory programs.
“CalEPA must replace the aging CERS application with a modern solution before obsolescence and possible system failure bring a greater risk of noncompliance with California statutes,” the BCP reads.
Over the course of the next two years, the agency plans to focus on configuration of the next-gen system, organizational change management, validation and verification, training and testing.
The agency's full BCP is available here, and a breakdown of all tech-related requests for this budget year can be found here.
CalEPA Seeks $6.8M for Next-Gen Environmental Reporting System
What to Know:- The California Environmental Protection Agency is requesting nearly $7 million for the second phase of its Environmental Reporting System.
- The 15-year-old, web-based system can no longer be updated to conform to evolving regulatory reporting needs.
- Phase two of the project will focus on change management, testing and training of newly procured software.
