Amended in Senate June 20, 2016

Amended in Assembly May 31, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2139


Introduced by Assembly Member Williams

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Gonzalez)

February 17, 2016


An act to add Section 35618 to the Public Resources Code, relating to ocean resources.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2139, as amended, Williams. Ocean Protection Council: ocean acidification.

Existing law establishes the Ocean Protection Council in state government and prescribes the membership, functions, and duties of the council with regard to the protection and conservation of ocean and coastal resources.

This billbegin delete would requireend deletebegin insert would, end insertbegin insertsubject to the availability of funding, authorizeend insert the council tobegin delete coordinate and facilitate research and work with other relevant public agencies with ocean protection responsibilitiesend deletebegin insert develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task force to ensure that council decisionmaking is supported by best available science, and require the councilend insert to take specified actions to address ocean acidification, as prescribed, and, beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its first meeting of the year,begin delete toend delete adopt recommendations for further actions that may be taken to address ocean acidification.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares both of the
2following:

3(a) The West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science
4Panel was a binational collaboration of leading scientists from
5California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia that was
6convened at the request of the Ocean Protection Council and the
7California Ocean Science Trust. The West Coast Acidification and
8Hypoxia Science Panel’s executive summary report outlines
9findings, recommendations, and actions to address ocean
10acidification and hypoxia.

11(b) The mission of the Ocean Protection Council is to ensure
12that California maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean
13and coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future
14generations. In order to do this, the council should address the
15challenge of ocean acidification.

16

SEC. 2.  

Section 35618 is added to the Public Resources Code,
17to read:

begin delete
18

35618.  

(a) The council shall coordinate and facilitate research
19and work with other relevant public agencies with ocean protection
20responsibilities to do all of the following:

21(1) Generate an inventory of areas that are most vulnerable to
22ocean acidification.

end delete
23begin insert

begin insert35618.end insert  

end insert
begin insert

(a) Subject to the availability of funding, the council
24may develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task force
25to ensure that decisionmaking is supported by the best available
26science.

end insert
begin insert

27
(b) Subject to the availability of funding, the council shall do
28both of the following:

end insert
begin insert

29
(1) Take actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia,
30including, but not limited to, all of the following:

end insert
begin insert

31
(A) Implement measures to facilitate climate change adaptation
32in the ocean, consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 71154.

end insert
begin delete

33(2)

end delete

P3    1begin insert(B)end insert Develop, refine, and integrate predictive modelsbegin insert that identify
2the relative contributions of global and local driversend insert
of ocean
3acidification andbegin delete hypoxia.end deletebegin insert hypoxia in California waters.end insert

begin delete

4(3) Inventory the colocation of protected areas and areas
5vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.

end delete
begin delete

6(4) Facilitate agreements and work with organizations that fund
7ocean acidification and hypoxia research to establish joint research
8priorities.

end delete
begin delete

9(5) Define gaps between ocean acidification monitoring efforts
10and management needs in coordination with relevant state, federal,
11and academic entities.

end delete
begin insert

12
(C) Work with other agencies to coordinate and ensure that
13criteria and standards for coastal water health to address ocean
14acidification and hypoxia are developed and informed by the best
15available science.

end insert
begin insert

16
(D) Develop a comprehensive inventory of areas in California
17vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.

end insert
begin insert

18
(E) Facilitate agreements with other national, state, and
19regional governments and private entities to establish and advance
20joint priorities for ocean acidification and hypoxia research.

end insert
begin insert

21
(F) In coordination with relevant federal, state, and academic
22entities, identify and define gaps between ocean acidification
23monitoring efforts and management needs and the actions
24necessary to address these gaps.

end insert
begin delete

4 25(b)

end delete

26begin insert(end insertbegin insert2)end insert Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its
27first meeting of the year,begin delete the council shallend delete adopt recommendations
28for further actions that may be taken to address ocean acidification.



O

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