BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1482
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
1482 (Gordon)
As Amended September 1, 2015
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |63-12 |(June 2, 2015) |SENATE: |27-13 |(September 8, |
| | | | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: NAT. RES.
SUMMARY: Requires the California Natural Resources Agency (NRA)
to update its climate adaptation strategy, the Safeguarding
California Plan (Plan), by July 1, 2017, and every three years
thereafter by coordinating adaption activities among lead state
agencies in each sector. This bill also requires the relevant
state agencies to maximize specified objectives across sectors
to address vulnerabilities identified in the Plan and requires
the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) to identify and review
activities and funding programs of state agencies that may be
coordinated to meet the goals of the strategies and priorities
in the Plan.
The Senate amendments:
1)Add the requirement that NRA update the Plan, by July 1, 2017,
and every three years thereafter and specify which sectors, at
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a minimum, should be included in the plan.
2)Rather than requiring that NRA, in coordination with the SGC,
review and coordinate existing grants and programs to maximize
objectives to address climate impacts, the amendments instead
require relevant state agencies to maximize specified
objectives across sectors to address vulnerabilities
identified in the Plan.
3)Rather than requiring that SGC oversee and coordinate state
agency actions to adapt to climate change, the amendment
instead require SGC to identify and review activities and
funding programs of state agencies that may be coordinated to
meet the goals of the strategies and priorities in the Plan.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires, pursuant to the California Global Warming Solutions
Act (AB 32 (Núñez), Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006), the Air
Resources Board (ARB) to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions limit equivalent to 1990 levels by 2020 and to
adopt rules and regulations to achieve maximum technologically
feasible and cost-effective GHG emission reductions.
2)Pursuant to Executive Order S-13-08 (Schwarzenegger), requires
NRA, through the Climate Action Team, to coordinate with
local, regional, state, federal, and private entities to
develop, by 2009, a state Climate Adaptation Strategy.
Requires the strategy to summarize the best known science on
climate change impacts to California, assess California's
vulnerability to the identified impacts, and outline solutions
that can be implemented within and across state agencies to
promote resiliency.
3)Pursuant to Executive Order B-30-15 (Brown), in addition to
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establishing a 40% GHG emission reduction goal by 2030,
requires several actions on adaptation including:
a) Requires NRA to update every three years the state's
climate adaptation strategy and ensure that its provisions
are fully implemented. Requires the state's climate
adaptation strategy to:
i) Identify vulnerabilities to climate change by sector
and regions, including, at a minimum, the following
sectors: water, energy, transportation, public health,
agriculture, emergency services, forestry, biodiversity
and habitat, and ocean and coastal resources;
ii) Outline primary risks to residents, property,
communities, and natural systems from these
vulnerabilities, and identify priority actions needed to
reduce these risks; and,
iii) Identify a lead agency or group of agencies to lead
adaptation efforts in each sector.
b) Requires each sector lead to prepare an implementation
plan by September 2015 to outline the actions that will be
taken as identified in state's climate adaptation strategy,
and report back on those actions to the NRA.
c) Requires state agencies to take climate change into
account in their planning and investment decisions, and
employ full life-cycle cost accounting to evaluate and
compare infrastructure investments and alternatives.
d) Requires state agencies' planning and investment to be
guided by the principles of climate preparedness,
flexibility and adaptive approaches for uncertain climate
impacts, protective of vulnerable populations, and
prioritization of natural infrastructure solutions.
e) Requires the state's Five-Year Infrastructure Plan to
take current and future climate change impacts into account
in all infrastructure projects.
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f) Requires OPR to establish a technical, advisory group to
help state agencies incorporate climate change impacts into
planning and investment decisions.
g) Requires the state to continue its rigorous climate
change research program focused on understanding the
impacts of climate change and how best to prepare and adapt
to such impacts.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee:
1)Unknown ongoing costs in the low millions of dollars to the
General Fund for each update of the Plan after 2017.
2)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.
COMMENTS: According to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency, "adaptation is the adjustments that society
or ecosystems make to limit negative effects of climate change.
It can also include taking advantage of opportunities that a
changing climate provides." In 2009, the NRA described
adaptation as a relatively new concept in California policy and
stated the term means, "efforts that respond to the impacts of
climate change - adjustments in natural or human systems to
actual or expected climate changes to minimize harm or take
advantage of beneficial opportunities."
California's adaptation efforts can be traced back to 2008, when
Governor Schwarzenegger ordered the NRA, through the Climate
Action Team, to coordinate with local, regional, state, federal,
public and private entities to develop, by 2009, the state's
Climate Adaptation Strategy. The Governor Schwarzenegger's
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Executive Order required the strategy to summarize the best
known science on climate change impacts for California, assess
California's vulnerability to the identified impacts, and
outline solutions that can be implemented within and across
state agencies to promote resiliency. As a result, NRA drafted
The 2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy. The state's
Climate Adaptation Strategy represents the work of seven
sector-specific working groups led by 12 state agencies, boards,
and commissions, and numerous stakeholders. The state's Climate
Adaptation Strategy proposes a comprehensive set of
recommendations designed to inform and guide California decision
makers as they begin to develop policies that will protect the
state, its residents, and its resources from a range of climate
change impacts. In July of 2014, NRA released an update to the
2009 California Climate Adaptation Strategy, Safeguarding
California: Reducing Climate Risk.
Analysis Prepared by:
Michael Jarred / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092 FN:
0002296