BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
SB 455 (Pavley)
Hearing Date: 01/19/2012 Amended: 01/04/2012
Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: NR&W 9-0
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BILL SUMMARY: SB 455 establishes a new process for landowners to
develop a watershed timber harvest plan (WTHP), rather than
completing many individual timber harvest plans (THPs).
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Fund
WTHP review and ongoingUnknown additional costs,
potentiallyGeneral
monitoring in the millions per year
Future THP review costsUnknown potential cost savings over
timeGeneral
Fee revenues Potential fee revenues in the
hundredsGeneral
of thousands to millions per year
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STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE.
Current law requires timber harvesters to file a Timber Harvest
Plan (THP) with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
(CalFire). A THP lays out the scope and methods of logging and
any required mitigation measures to be undertaken. Under current
law, the THP process is considered and "in lieu" process for the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), meaning that
compliance with an approved THP fulfills the project proponent's
obligations under CEQA. The effective duration of an approved
THP is three years, with the potential for two one-year
extensions.
SB 455 creates a new process that allows timber harvesters to
SB 455 (Pavley)
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voluntarily develop a Watershed Timber Harvest Plan (WTHP).
Under the bill, WTHPs would cover one or more watersheds,
generally not more than 100,000 acres. The WTHP would have
duration of twenty years. Once a WTHP had been filed and
approved by CalFire and other regulatory agencies, a landowner
would only be required to provide notification of harvesting
activities that are allowed under the WTHP. In order for the
proposed WHTP to be approved, the plan would have to include all
planned harvesting activities over the next twenty years, the
landowner would have to agree to increase overall carbon stocks
on the covered lands, and the bill would require mitigation for
the loss of carbon stocks due to the conversion of timber lands
to other uses. The bill requires WTHP applicants to pay a
one-time fee up to $100,000 for regulatory review costs. The
bill also specifies procedures for ongoing monitoring and review
of harvesting under an approved WTHP.
The costs to review and approve a WTHP are unknown at this time,
but are likely to be significant. By front loading the analysis
of future timber harvesting, the bill is likely to increase
review costs by CalFire, the Department of Fish and Game,
Regional Water Quality Control Boards, and the Department of
Conservation. To some extent, these costs will be offset by the
fees authorized under the bill. However, it is unlikely that the
fees will fully offset those costs. On the other hand, it is
possible that, over time, the use of WTHPs will reduce future
THP review costs as fewer THPs are filed by large landowners.
The total cost for THP review across all agencies is about $19
million per year from the General Fund. Staff notes that THP
applicants currently do not pay any fees for regulatory review.