BILL NUMBER: AB 2139	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 20, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 31, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 28, 2016

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 bill would require   would,  
subject to the availability of funding, authorize  the council
to  coordinate and facilitate research and work with other
relevant public agencies with ocean protection responsibilities
  develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science
task force to ensure that council decisionmaking is supported by best
available science, and require the council  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,  to  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:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares both of the
following:
   (a) The West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel
was a binational collaboration of leading scientists from California,
Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia that was convened at the
request of the Ocean Protection Council and the California Ocean
Science Trust. The West Coast Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel'
s executive summary report outlines findings, recommendations, and
actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia.
   (b) The mission of the Ocean Protection Council is to ensure that
California maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and
coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations.
In order to do this, the council should address the challenge of
ocean acidification.
  SEC. 2.  Section 35618 is added to the Public Resources Code, to
read: 
   35618.  (a) The council shall coordinate and facilitate research
and work with other relevant public agencies with ocean protection
responsibilities to do all of the following:
   (1) Generate an inventory of areas that are most vulnerable to
ocean acidification. 
    35618.    (a) Subject to the availability of
funding, the council may develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia
science task force to ensure that decisionmaking is supported by the
best available science.  
   (b) Subject to the availability of funding, the council shall do
both of the following:  
   (1) Take actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia,
including, but not limited to, all of the following:  
   (A) Implement measures to facilitate climate change adaptation in
the ocean, consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 71154. 

   (2) 
    (B)  Develop, refine, and integrate predictive models
 that identify the relative contributions of global and local
drivers of ocean acidification and  hypoxia. 
 hypoxia in California waters.  
   (3) Inventory the colocation of protected areas and areas
vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.  
   (4) Facilitate agreements and work with organizations that fund
ocean acidification and hypoxia research to establish joint research
priorities.  
   (5) Define gaps between ocean acidification monitoring efforts and
management needs in coordination with relevant state, federal, and
academic entities.  
   (C) Work with other agencies to coordinate and ensure that
criteria and standards for coastal water health to address ocean
acidification and hypoxia are developed and informed by the best
available science.  
   (D) Develop a comprehensive inventory of areas in California
vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.  
   (E) Facilitate agreements with other national, state, and regional
governments and private entities to establish and advance joint
priorities for ocean acidification and hypoxia research.  
   (F) In coordination with relevant federal, state, and academic
entities, identify and define gaps between ocean acidification
monitoring efforts and management needs and the actions necessary to
address these gaps.  
   (b) 
    (   2)  Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually
thereafter, at its first meeting of the year,  the council
shall  adopt recommendations for further actions that may be
taken to address ocean acidification.