BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1482 (Gordon) - Climate adaptation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Version: July 9, 2015 |Policy Vote: N.R. & W. 7 - 2, |
| | E.Q. 5 - 1 |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
| | |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
| | |
|Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Marie Liu |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 1482 would require the Natural Resources Agency
(agency) to update its climate adaptation strategy (CAS) by July
1, 2017 and every three years thereafter and to coordinate
adaption activities within its agency. This bill would also
require the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to update the
state's Five-year Infrastructure Plan to take into account
current and future climate change impacts by July 1, 2019.
Fiscal
Impact:
Unknown ongoing costs in the low millions of dollars to the
General Fund for each update of Safeguarding California Plan
after 2017.
Unknowing costs to the General Fund for OPR to update the
Infrastructure Plan as specified.
Potential costs up to $175,000 to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Fund (special) for the ARB to ensure that projects both reduce
AB 1482 (Gordon) Page 1 of
?
GHG emissions and improve climate adaptation.
Unknown cost pressures in the millions of dollars to the
General Fund and various special funds to implement the
climate adaptation strategy and the Infrastructure Plan.
Background: The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (referred
to as AB 32, HSC §38500 et seq.) requires the California Air
Resources Board (ARB) to determine the 1990 statewide greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions level, to approve a statewide GHG emissions
limit equivalent to that level that will be achieved by 2020,
and to adopt GHG emissions reductions measures by regulation.
ARB is authorized to include the use of market-based mechanisms
to comply with the regulations. All monies, except for fines
and penalties, collected pursuant to a market-based mechanism
are deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).
Existing law requires that the GGRF only be used to facilitate
the achievement of reductions of GHG emissions consistent with
AB 32 (HSC §39710 et seq.).
Section 16428.9 of the Government Code establishes requirements
of a state agency who is expending GGRF monies appropriated to
it by the Legislature including the establishment of a record
that consists of information including a description of each
expenditure and how each expenditure will achieve and maintain
GHG emission reductions. The Air Resources Board (ARB) is
responsible for developing guidance on reporting and
quantification methods for all state agencies that receive
appropriations to ensure that the requirements are met.
In 2014, California voters approved the Water Quality, Supply,
and infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1) which
authorized $7.454 billion in general obligation bonds for state
water supply infrastructure projects, ecosystem and watershed
protection and restoration, and drinking water protection.
In December 2009, the Resources Agency released the California
Climate Adaptation Strategy, pursuant to Executive Order
S-13-2008 which directed the Resources Agency to identify how
state agencies can respond to rising temperatures, changing
precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and extreme natural
events. The report noted that climate change is already
affecting California with increased average temperatures, more
AB 1482 (Gordon) Page 2 of
?
extreme hot days, fewer cold nights, shifts in the water cycle,
and the lengthening of the growing season. The report stated
that not addressing these changes could cause significant
economic damages to the state in the trillions of dollars; thus,
the state must address climate change challenges with both
climate adaptation and mitigation. The 2014 Safeguarding
California Plan is an update to this strategy.
Proposed Law:
This bill would require the agency to update the state's CAS,
known as the Safeguarding California Plan, by July 1, 2017 and
every three years thereafter. The agency would be required to
coordinate with other state agencies to identify a lead agency
or group of agencies to lead adaptation efforts in each sector.
The updates would be required to include: (1) vulnerabilities to
climate change by various sectors including water, energy,
transportation, public health, agriculture, emergency services,
forestry, biodiversity and habitat, and ocean and coastal
resources and (2) priority actions needed to reduce risks in
these sectors. The agency would also be required to report to
the Legislature on actions taken to implement the Safeguarding
California Plan.
The agency, in coordination with the Strategic Growth Council
(SGC), would be required to review and coordinate existing
grants and programs to maximize the following objectives:
Educate the public about consequences of climate change
Ensuring there is a continued repository for scientific data
on climate change and climate adaptation in the state.
Establish policies, guidelines, and guidance at the state
level to inform planning decisions.
Encourage regional collaborative planning efforts to address
climate change impacts and adaptation.
Promote water supply, delivery, and capture system that is
coordinated and can withstand a multiyear drought scenario.
Build resilient communities.
Protect and enhance habitat, species strongholds, and wildlife
corridors.
The agency, in coordination with the SGC, would also be required
to identify and coordinate opportunities among its departments
for the purposes of climate adaptation when expending state
funds, including from the GGRF and Proposition1.
AB 1482 (Gordon) Page 3 of
?
This bill would also require the Office of Planning and Research
to update the state's Five-Year Infrastructure Plan to take into
account current and future climate change impacts in all
infrastructure projects by July 1, 2019.
Related
Legislation: SB 246 (Wieckowski) would create state report
updates on climate adaptation, as well as an advisory committee
to OPR for expertise and local and regional perspectives. SB 246
is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Staff
Comments: The agency believes that the cost to develop the CAS
updates as required by the bill will be minor and absorbable
because there the positions within the agency and its
departments to perform this work already exist. However, staff
notes that the CAS updates are not standalone efforts, but are
informed by the agency's climate change assessments. The cost of
the four assessments previously undertaken has ranged from
$900,000 to $5 million each based on that assessment's scope. In
its unknown what future assessments will cost depending on the
data needs, but staff assumes that the costs for future
assessments necessary to support future CAS updates will
therefore likely be in the low millions of dollars. Staff notes
that the next CAS update is scheduled for 2017. This update is
being supported by the fourth assessment, which has already been
funded. Therefore, the costs as a result of this bill will begin
after 2017.
The ARB notes that it anticipates costs of $175,000 annually
from the GGRF to ensure that climate adaptation projects that
expend GGRF money achieve both GHG reductions as well as climate
adaptation. ARB also estimates costs associated with potentially
needing to develop new GHG emission reduction quantification
methodologies, and to incorporate any new projects into its
guidance and report on GGRF expenditures. Staff notes that these
may not be new responsibilities to the ARB as existing law
directs GGRF expenditures to take into account, to the extent
feasible, the lessening of impacts and effects of climate change
AB 1482 (Gordon) Page 4 of
?
on the state's communities, economy, and environment (HSC
§39712).
This bill would require the agency to report to the Legislature
on actions taken to implement the CAS. Staff recommends that the
author specify with what frequency the agency should report to
the Legislature.
-- END --