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