BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
Susan Talamantes Eggman, Chair
AB 2402 (Buchanan) - As Introduced: February 21, 2014
SUBJECT : Noxious weed management.
SUMMARY : Makes technical changes updating the legislative
findings and statutes of the Noxious Weed Management (NWM)
statutes; changes the distribution percentages going to
specified funds; expands how some program funds may be used;
and, makes an appropriation of $2.5 million from the General
Fund (GF) to the program. Specifically, this bill :
1)Updates the NWM legislative findings and declarations by
deleting the reference to "often poisonous" noxious weeds and
adding "waterways" to destructive effects; adds "decreased
water supply" to lost resources affected; clarifies and
updates current estimated dollar impact of noxious weeds to be
$25 billion and cost of control to be estimated at $9.6
billion; and, adds that under this program, since 2000, there
has been successful eradication of over 2,000 populations of
high priority weed infestations, leveraging $3 of non-state
funds for every $1 of state funds.
2)Reduces from 80% to 60%, the share of funds going to Weed
Management (WM) areas and county agricultural commissioners
(CAC) for the control and abatement of noxious weeds; adds
invasive weeds to this use; and, adds the requirement that
these funds be available through grants, based upon the
strategic importance for local and regional eradication of
high priority noxious and invasive weeds.
3)Increases from 10% to 20%, the share of funds going to NWM
research and expands the use of research money to include
mapping, risk assessment and prioritization of weeds.
4)Increases from 10% to 20%, the share of funds going to NWM
administration, developing control strategies, seeking new
control agents, conducting workshops, and funding a
coordinator.
5)Adds the requirement to show an increased water supply and
flow, for a WM area project to be eligible for funding.
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6)Makes several technical non-substantive name reference
changes.
7)Appropriates $2.5 million from the GF, to the NWM Account,
within the CDFA Fund, to be spent for the purposes of this
chapter.
EXISTING LAW defines "Noxious weed" as any species of plant that
is, or is liable to be, troublesome, aggressive, intrusive,
detrimental, or destructive and difficult to control or
eradicate; establishes legislative findings and declarations by
Statutes of 2000; defines "integrated weed management plan" to
mean an ecosystem-based control system focusing on long-term
prevention through a combination of techniques, as specified;
designates CDFA as the lead agency for NWM and for
implementation in cooperation with the Secretary of [Natural]
Resources; creates the NWM Account within CDFA; provides 80% of
appropriated funds be made available for eligible WM areas or
CAC for control or abatement of noxious weeds; 10% of funds
shall be used for research, as specified, administered by CDFA;
10% shall be available for CDFA, as specified; provides criteria
for eligibility for funds including requiring a local
organization to participate in a cost-share plan, as specified;
and provides that CDFA provide an oversight committee and
staffing.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown; makes an appropriation of $2.5 million
from the GF.
COMMENTS : The NWM program began in 1999 with a $200,000
annual, three year appropriation. In 2000, another $5 million
was appropriated, without regard to fiscal year, to fund WM
project grants. Since its creation, $16.1 million in private
funding and resources have matched the $5.6 million appropriated
state dollars. No additional funds have been appropriated since
2000 and the grant funds having been spent several years ago;
therefore, the NWM program has been idle and CDFA has reduced
staff levels.
Noxious and invasive weeds disrupt native ecosystems, crops and
pastures, costing not only private landowners but the public as
well. With the program being idle, noxious and invasive weeds
have been allowed to expand without needed controls. Farmers
and ranchers see weeds as a plant in competition for water with
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their plantings and forage. In drought years, the elimination
of competitors for water is an even more important issue. The
NWM program has had nearly a three to one private dollars match
to state dollars, which is a very good return on a state
investment.
AB 2402 proposes to authorize the research component to be able
to do weed mapping, strategies and prioritization, which
currently are duties under CDFA's administrative funding. The
committee may wish to ask the author how these overlapping
duties will be shared.
This program has been beneficial in eliminating problem noxious
and invasive weeds, and there are likely some long term cost
savings if the program is funded, or contrarily, increased long
term costs to the environment and taxpayers if the program
remains idle. This said, Members need to be aware of the
Governor's veto message on previous agricultural bills carrying
an appropriation, that funding should be reviewed within the
budget process.
RELATED LEGISLATION : AB 571 (Gatto), 2013-14 Legislative
Session, made legislative findings and declarations that there
is an ongoing need for at least $5 million annually to combat
citrus pest and disease, and appropriated $5 million from the GF
to the Citrus Disease Management account in CDFA. This bill was
vetoed by the Governor, October 2, 2013, stating that the
funding should be reviewed during the budget process. AB 571
died pursuant to Joint Rule 58.5.
AB 2479 (Cogdill), Chapter 323, Statutes of 2006, increased the
maximum allowable administrative funds for the NWM Account
within CDFA from 5% to 10%, and makes legislative findings and
declarations relative to the detrimental impact of noxious and
invasive weeds.
SB 1740 (Leslie), Chapter 315, Statutes of 2000, expanded, from
research to active control and abatement, the CDFA NWM Program,
and appropriated $5 million, without regard to fiscal year, to
management programs dealing with noxious weeds.
AB 1176 (Frusetta), Chapter 961, Statutes of 1999, created
within CDFA, the NWM Plan and Fund; defined "integrated weed
management plan"; designated CDFA as the lead agency for NWM and
for implementation; defined how funds are to be used; provided
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criteria for eligibility of funds including requiring a local
organization to participate in a cost-share plan; provided that
CDFA provide an oversight committee and staffing; and when the
Governor signed this measure, he reduced the funding levels to
$200,000 per year for 1999/2000, 2000/2001, and 2001/2002.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Invasive Plant Society (Sponsor)
Alameda County Farm Bureau
Bay Area Open Space Council
Botanical Dimensions
Butte County Department of Agriculture
Butte County Mosquito & Vector
Control District
Cache Creek Conservancy
California Association of Harbor Masters
and Port Captains
California Association of Local Conservation Corps
California Agricultural Commissioners
And Sealers Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Forest Pest Council
California Native Grasslands Association
California Native Plant Society
California Native Plant Society -
Bristlecone Chapter
California Native Plant Society - Channel
Islands
California Native Plant Society - Los
Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains Chapter
California Native Plant Society - Marin
Chapter
California Native Plant Society - Mount
Lassen Chapter
California Native Plant Society - San Diego
Chapter
California Native Plant Society - Santa
Clara Valley Chapter
California Native Plant Society - Yerba
Buena Chapter
California Native Plant Society-Kern
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Chapter
California Yacht Brokers Association
Caltrans District 1
Carson Water Subconservancy District
Center for Natural Lands Management
Central Sierra Partnership Against Weeds -
Calaveras Element
Community Alliance with Family Farms
Conservation Biology Institute
Contra Costa County
Contra Costa Resource Conservation
District
Council for Watershed Health
County of Santa Clara
Creekside Science Center
Endangered Habitats Conservancy
Fall River Resource Conservation District
Forest Ranch Broom Education & Eradication Program
Foresters Co-Op
Friends of Bidwell Park
Friends of Edgewood
Friends of Five Creeks
Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
Golden Hour Restoration Institute
Hedgerow Farms
Humboldt County Department of
Agriculture
Kelly-Thompson Ranch
Kern County Department of Agriculture &
Measurement Standards
Kern Weed Management Area
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Lake County Fire Chiefs' Association
Lake County Land Trust
Lower Sherman Island Duck Hunters
Association
Madera County Department of Agriculture
Marin Agricultural Land Trust
Marin County Department of Agriculture
Marin Resource Conservation District
Marina Recreation Association
Mariposa County Department of Agriculture
Mariposa County Farm Bureau
Mattole Restoration Council
McKinleyville Land Trust
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Mendocino County, Office of the
Agricultural Commissioner
Mid Klamath Watershed Council
Mill Valley StreamKeepers
Mojave Desert Resource Conservation
District
Mojave Weed Management Area
Morro Bay National Estuary Program
Mountains Restoration Trust
Napa County Flood Control & Water
Conservation District
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Natures Image, Inc.
Nevada County Resource Conservation
District
Open Space Authority- Santa Clara Valley
Pacific Coast Seed, Inc.
Placer County Board of Supervisors
Redwood National Park
Resource Conservation District of Monterey
County
Resource Conservation District of Santa
Cruz County
Resource Conservation Partners
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
San Diego Habitat Conservancy
San Dieguito River Park Joint Powers
Authority
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
San Luis Obispo County Board of
Supervisors
San Mateo County Resource Conservation
District
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Save Mount Diablo
Sequoia Audubon Society
Sierra Watch
Siskiyou County Department of Agriculture
Small Wilderness Area Preservation
Solano Land Trust
Sonoma Ecology Center
Sonoma Land Trust
Sustainable Conservation
Tehachapi Resource Conservation District
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The Garber Park Stewards
The Postdoctoral Scholars Association at
UC Davis
Truckee River Watershed Council
Tulare County Resource Conservation
District
Tuolumne County Land Trust
UC Santa Cruz Campus Natural Reserve
UC Santa Cruz Site Stewardship Program
Vieira Ranches
Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation
Weed Research & Information Center at UC
Davis
Western Boaters Safety Group
Yolo County Flood Control & Water
Conservation District
Yolo County Resource Conservation District
12 Individuals
Opposition
One Individual
Analysis Prepared by : Jim Collin / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084