BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 309
Page 1
Date of Hearing: January 12, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WATER, PARKS, AND WILDLIFE
Marc Levine, Chair
AB 309
(Mathis) - As Amended April 23, 2015
SUBJECT: Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr. Research Grant.
SUMMARY: Appropriates $145,000 from the State General Fund (GF)
to the Department of Water Resources (DWR) for an Edmund G.
"Pat" Brown, Sr., Research Grant program that will provide
one-year grants to University of California (UC) and California
State University (CSU) campuses to research ways to expand
California's water portfolio.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Creates DWR and gives it the authority to manage and regulate
water use.
2)Creates the UC and CSU to provide educational opportunities,
to expand our scientific knowledge and social understanding.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown; but appropriates $145,000 General Fund
(GF) to DWR.
AB 309
Page 2
COMMENTS: This bill makes UCs and CSUs eligible for a new
one-year grant program administered by DWR for up to $145,000 to
research ways to expand water supplies.
1)Purpose: The author states that this bill would support
research that examines ways to increase fresh water yield,
improve energy efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
from desalination and power generation facilities. The author
states that Proposition 1 does not go far enough to address
the challenges for both the short and long-term drought
conditions in California. The author adds that California has
many of the finest institutions of higher learning not only in
the United States but globally and that these institutions are
uniquely positioned to offer innovative solutions to
increasing fresh water supply to an ever growing and thirsty
state.
2)Background: DWR was created in 1956 to protect, conserve,
develop, and manage California's water. DWR works with other
agencies and the public to develop short and long term
strategies to conserve, manage, develop, and sustain
California's watersheds, water resources, and management
systems.
The UC and CSU have already undertaken the following efforts
very similar to what this bill is attempting to accomplish.
UC Davis has a Center for Watershed Sciences that
studies critical water challenges with a focus on
solutions that are environmentally and economically
sustainable.
UC Berkeley has a Water Center that focuses on
implementing solutions and creating new technologies to
AB 309
Page 3
address water shortages.
The CSU has a Water Resources and Policies
Initiatives (WRPI) consortium that has faculty and staff
participants from all of the 23 CSU campuses. The WRPI
is working toward developing greater partnerships between
water industries and government, and pursuing the
development and use of innovative water technologies to
enhance economic growth.
1)Supporting Arguments: No support has been received by the
committee.
2)Opposing Arguments: No opposition has been received by the
committee.
3)Prior and related legislation: AB 237 (Machado) of 1999 would
have transferred $7.5 million from the GF to the State Water
Resources Control Board for a grant program to help implement
water recycling studies, investigations, and research and
development by UCs, CSUs, public agencies and specified
nonprofits. AB 237 was held by the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
4)Suggested Amendments: This bill does not specify grant
criteria or how a grant program would be administered. The
committee may want to provide a competitive grant process
based on a measurable deliverable from the educational
institution or institutions such as a report to DWR, the
Legislature, or both, by a date certain, with recommendations.
For example, the recommendations could be for the most cost
effective new strategy that would yield multiple benefits.
AB 309
Page 4
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Ryan Ojakian / W., P., & W. / (916)
319-2096