BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 761
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
761 (Levine)
As Amended June 2, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Natural |8-1 |Williams, Dahle, |Harper |
|Resources | | | |
| | |Cristina Garcia, | |
| | |Hadley, McCarty, | |
| | |Rendon, | |
| | | | |
| | |Mark Stone, Wood | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Water |13-2 |Levine, Bigelow, |Beth Gaines, Harper |
| | |Dababneh, Dahle, | |
| | |Dodd, Cristina | |
| | |Garcia, Gomez, | |
| | |Lopez, Mathis, | |
| | |Medina, Rendon, | |
| | |Salas, Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+---------------------+---------------------|
|Appropriations |13-0 |Gomez, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Daly, Eggman, | |
AB 761
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| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Requires, upon appropriation of funding by the
Legislature, the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to
establish a grant program to fund projects that increase carbon
sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction on
agricultural lands, ranches and rangelands. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Provides that a project shall be eligible for grant funding if
the project is both on working lands and assists the state in
meeting its GHG emission reduction goals.
2)Requires CDFA to prioritize funding for projects that provide the
greatest level of the following benefits:
a) Demonstrate carbon farming;
b) Sequester carbon in agricultural soils;
c) Achieve related cobenefits such as reduced irrigation
demand, increased yield, enhanced habitat, reduced water
quality impacts, and enhanced soil structure.
3)Requires CDFA, in consultation with the Department of
Conservation (DOC), the Department of Resources Recycling and
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Recovery, the State Air Resources Board (ARB), and the Department
of Water Resources (DWR), to develop and adopt project
solicitation and evaluation guidelines to implement the grant
program.
4)Requires CDFA to quantify the benefits of each project funded and
post the evaluation information on their Internet Web site.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:
1)Unknown cost pressures.
2)Increased initial and ongoing costs for CDFA, in the range of $2
million (unspecified fund) to develop and administer the program
(based on a $50 million program).
3)Absorbable costs for the DOC, Department of Resources Recycling
and Recovery, ARB, and DWR.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, this bill will fund 15 to
20 pilot projects to expand the use of sustainable
agricultural practices, including compost application, on
rangelands and other agricultural lands. The author states
research shows that these pilots are expected to increase
soil carbon sequestration (reduce greenhouse gasses),
improve soil water retention, and make agricultural land
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more resilient to climate change and drought.
2)Is this just about compost? The Marin Carbon Project began as
a compost experiment seven years ago on a Marin County ranch.
This experiment uncovered a way to remove carbon dioxide from
the air through application of compost on rangeland soil. The
project hopes to turn the rangelands of California into a tool
to meet the state's GHG reduction goals. These experiments on
the grazing lands in Marin County and the Sierra Foothills of
Yuba County by University of California (UC) Berkeley
bio-geochemist Whendee Silver showed that a one-time
application of compost substantially boosted the soil's carbon
storage. The effect has persisted over six years, and Silver
believes the carbon will remain stored for at least several
decades. Last year, the Governor signed AB 1826 (Chesbro),
Chapter 727, Statutes of 2014, which required generators of
specified amounts of organic waste to arrange recycling
services for the organic waste material. As the state diverts
more organic waste from landfills, much of the organic waste
could be turned into compost. The Marin Carbon Project with
the help of UC Berkeley has demonstrated the benefits of
compost application on rangelands. Compost can also be used on
croplands and home gardens. The state has a role in developing
markets for compost and collecting data on the benefits of it
uses.
This bill creates a grant program that will fund projects that
increase carbon in soils through compost application, yet the
supporters have identified other practices that they wish be
included in the grant program. These practices include tillage
management, nutrient management, windbreaks, specific
plantings, habitat enhancement, and other improved management
practices, which they believe will increase carbon
sequestration and reduce GHG emissions. Therefore, the grant
program created by this bill will look for projects on working
lands that help the state meet its GHG emission goals, but
those projects will not be limited to compost application and
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will not be limited to rangelands.
3)Healthy Soils. Increased carbon is soils produces multiple
benefits, including increased water holding capacity, increased
crop yields and decreased sediment erosion. The Governor's May
Revision proposes to spend $20 million from AB 32 (Núñez),
Chapter 488, Statues of 2006, cap and trade revenues (Greenhouse
Gas Reduction Fund) to fund demonstration projects that increase
carbon in soils. Recent amendments were intended to align this
bill with the Governor's initiative.
Analysis Prepared by:
Michael Jarred / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092 FN: 0000853