BILL ANALYSIS Ó ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1066| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ UNFINISHED BUSINESS Bill No: SB 1066 Author: Lieu (D), et al. Amended: 8/6/12 Vote: 21 SENATE NATURAL RES. AND WATER COMMITTEE : 6-2, 4/10/12 AYES: Pavley, Cannella, Kehoe, Padilla, Simitian, Wolk NOES: La Malfa, Fuller NO VOTE RECORDED: Evans SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-2, 5/24/12 AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Lieu, Price, Steinberg NOES: Walters, Dutton SENATE FLOOR : 25-13, 5/30/12 AYES: Alquist, Calderon, Cannella, Corbett, De León, DeSaulnier, Evans, Hancock, Hernandez, Kehoe, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Padilla, Pavley, Price, Rubio, Simitian, Steinberg, Vargas, Wolk, Wright, Yee NOES: Anderson, Berryhill, Blakeslee, Correa, Dutton, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Harman, Huff, La Malfa, Walters, Wyland NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Strickland ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 51-26, 8/22/12 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Coastal resources: climate change SOURCE : The Nature Conservancy CONTINUED SB 1066 Page 2 DIGEST : This bill authorizes the California Coastal Conservancy (Conservancy) to address the impacts and potential impacts of climate change on coastal resources and to award grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for this purpose. Assembly Amendments are clarifying, and add Senator Pavley as a coauthor. ANALYSIS : Existing law establishes the Conservancy, which serves as a repository for coastal lands. Existing law authorizes the Conservancy to, among other things, undertake projects and award grants for the purposes of restoration of areas of the coastal zone that are adversely affecting the coastal environment or are impeding orderly development. This bill: 1. Authorizes the Conservancy to address the impacts and potential impacts of climate change on coastal resources. The Conservancy may undertake coastal projects including those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address extreme weather events, sea level rise, storm surge, beach and bluff erosion, salt water intrusion, flooding, and other coastal hazards that threaten coastal communities, infrastructure, and natural resources. 2. Authorizes the Conservancy to award grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for activities that address the impacts and potential impacts of climate change on coastal resources. In awarding the grants, the Conservancy is required to prioritize projects that would maximize public benefits such as reducing emissions of greenhouse gas, reducing hazards to harbors and ports, preserving and enhancing coastal wetlands and natural lands, conserving biodiversity, and providing recreational opportunities. Background The Conservancy is a state agency that purchases, protects, restores, and enhances coastal resources, and provides CONTINUED SB 1066 Page 3 public access to the shore. The Conservancy works in partnership with local governments, other public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners. Since their establishment in 1976, the Conservancy has undertaken over 1800 projects along the California coast and San Francisco bay. Existing law states that the Conservancy has responsibility for implementing a program of agricultural protection, area restoration, and resource enhancement in the coastal zone within the guidelines established in the California Coastal Act (Public Resources Code (PRC) Section 31054). Existing law also gives authority to the Conservancy to undertake plans and feasibility studies, award grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for these studies (PRC Section 31111) and undertake educational projects and programs for K-12 (PRC Section 31119). Projects that the Conservancy currently undertakes are primarily related to: 1. Protecting and improving the quality of coastal wetlands, streams, watersheds, and near-shore ocean waters; 2. Helping people get to coast and bay shores by building trails and stairways and by acquiring land and easements. The Conservancy also assists in the creation of low-cost accommodations along the coast, including campgrounds and hostels; 3. Working with local communities to revitalize urban waterfronts; 4. Helping to solve complex land-use problems; 5. Purchasing and holding environmentally valuable coastal and bay lands; 6. Protecting agricultural lands and supporting coastal agriculture; 7. Accepting donations and dedications of land and easements for public access, wildlife habitat, CONTINUED SB 1066 Page 4 agriculture, and open space. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee: 1. Negligible direct state costs. 2. Cost pressure, potentially in the millions of dollars, to fund projects that address the effect and potential effects of climate change on coastal resources (General Fund, bond funds and special funds). 3. Potential revenue, possibly in the millions of dollars, from federal awards and private sources, to address the effects and potential effects of climate change on coastal resources. SUPPORT : (Verified 5/22/12) (per Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee analysis - prior version of the bill) The Nature Conservancy (source) Audubon California Bay Area Open Space Council California Association of Port Authorities California Coastkeeper Alliance Cities of Culver City, Laguna Beach and Long Beach East Bay Municipal Utility District Environmental Defense Fund Heal the Bay Marin County Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey County Mountains Restoration Trust Natural Resources Defense Council Ocean Conservancy Ojai Valley Land Conservancy Point Reyes Bird Observatory San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association Save the Bay Sonoma Land Trust Surfrider Foundation CONTINUED SB 1066 Page 5 Ventura County Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett Water Replenishment District of Southern California ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, the consequences of climate change, such as extreme weather events and sea level rise, disproportionately impact 80% of California's population that live and work within 30 miles of the coast. Coastal infrastructure, beaches, estuaries, coastal wetlands, and other unique coastal habitats that drive the coastal economy are all at risk. California's coastal resources contribute over $40 billion annually to state and local funds. The consequences of climate change could ultimately cost the state tens of billions of dollars if not addressed. Existing law created the Conservancy to protect and enhance coastal resources and urban waterfronts through grants and other non-regulatory means. However, existing law does not expressly authorize the Conservancy to help address the adverse effects of climate change on coastal resources. This bill corrects this ambiguity in the law by authorizing the Conservancy to address climate change and its impacts as part of its broader mission. ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 51-26, 8/22/12 AYES: Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Campos, Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Hall, Hayashi, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez NOES: Achadjian, Bill Berryhill, Conway, Cook, Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Garrick, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Logue, Mansoor, Miller, Morrell, Nestande, Norby, Olsen, Silva, Smyth, Valadao, Wagner NO VOTE RECORDED: Charles Calderon, Roger Hernández, Nielsen CONTINUED SB 1066 Page 6 CTW:k 8/22/12 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END **** CONTINUED