BILL ANALYSIS Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair 2125 (Ruskin) Hearing Date: 08/02/2010 Amended: 07/15/2010 Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: NR&W 6-3 AB 2125 (Ruskin), Page 2 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: AB 2125 requires the Ocean Protection Council to support other state agencies' use of geospatial information for coastal- and ocean-related decision making. The bill requires the Ocean Protection Council to report to the Legislature on issues related to marine spatial planning. The bill requires all other state agencies with coastal management or regulatory responsibilities to assist the Ocean Protection Council in these activities. The bill authorizes the Ocean Protection Council to award grants and provide other assistance to support this effort. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund Report development Up to $100 Bond * Cost pressure for additional Unknown, potentially in the millions. Bond * grants * Proposition 84. _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Under current law, the Ocean Protection Council is required to coordinate ocean protection and conservation activities of state agencies, improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect coastal resources, and to establish policies to coordinate the collection and sharing of scientific data. The Ocean Protection Council is also authorized to make grants and loans for a variety of projects to improve coastal water quality, improve fisheries, and protect ocean ecosystems. These projects are funded from the Ocean Protection Trust Fund, which is largely supported by $90 million in general obligation bond funds allocated in Proposition 84. AB 2125 requires the Ocean Protection Council (subject to available funding) to support other state agencies' use of scientific and geospatial information for coastal and marine AB 2125 (Ruskin), Page 2 decision making. The bill requires the Council to take a variety of actions, in coordination with other state agencies, to collect and disseminate information on coastal resources. The bill requires the Council to report to the Legislature on the uses and benefits of marine spatial planning. The bill requires all other state agencies with ocean management interests or regulatory responsibilities to cooperate with the Council in these requirements. AB 2125 authorizes the Council to provide grants or other assistance to pubic agencies and non-profit entities to improve the availability and use of geospatial information relating to coastal resources. According to the Council, many of the requirements of the bill have already been undertaken. However, in order to review these activities and other state efforts in this area and report to the Legislature, the Council may need additional resources. The cost to prepare the required report is estimated to be about $100,000. In addition, by authorizing the Council to provide grants and other assistance for these new activities, the bill puts cost pressures on existing bond funds. The Legislature has appropriated all of the $90 million allocated in Proposition 84 for use by the Council. Of this amount, about $25 million remains unspent. By authorizing additional uses of this money, the bill potentially reduces the funding that is available for other uses of those bond funds. Staff recommends the bill be amended to make a grammatical correction. (Add a comma after "ecosystem health" on page 4, line 26.) AB 2598 (Brownley) requires local government agencies that have been granted public trust lands to develop a sea level action plan, which may be supported by funds from the Ocean Protection Council. That bill will be heard in this Committee. AB 1217 (Monning, Chapter 279, Statutes of 2009) authorizes the Ocean Protection Council to develop and implement a voluntary sustainable seafood program. SB 539 (Wiggins, 2009) would have expanded the eligible uses of AB 2125 (Ruskin), Page 2 existing Proposition 84 funds to include restoration of native salmon and steelhead trout populations. SB 539 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.