Amended in Senate August 2, 2016

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: oceanbegin delete acidification.end deletebegin insert acidification and hypoxia.end insert

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, subject to the availability of funding, authorize the council to develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task force to ensure that council decisionmaking is supported bybegin insert theend insert best available science, and require the council to take specified actions to address oceanbegin delete acidification,end deletebegin insert acidification and hypoxia,end insert as prescribed, and, beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its first meeting of the year, adopt recommendations for further actions that may be taken to address oceanbegin delete acidification.end deletebegin insert acidification and hypoxia.end insert

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:

18

35618.  

(a) Subject to the availability of funding, the council
19may develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task force
20to ensure that decisionmaking is supported by the best available
21science.

22(b) Subject to the availability of funding, the council shall do
23both of the following:

24(1) Take actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia,
25including, but not limited to, all of the following:

26(A) Implement measures to facilitate climate change adaptation
27in the ocean, consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 71154.

28(B) Develop, refine, and integrate predictive models that identify
29the relative contributions of global and local drivers of ocean
30acidification and hypoxia in California waters.

31(C) Work with other agencies to coordinate and ensure that
32criteria and standards for coastal water health to address ocean
33acidification and hypoxia are developed and informed by the best
34available science.

P3    1(D) Develop a comprehensive inventory of areas in California
2vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.

3(E) Facilitate agreements with other national, state, and regional
4governments and private entities to establish and advance joint
5priorities for ocean acidification and hypoxia research.

6(F) In coordination with relevant federal, state, and academic
7entities, identifybegin delete and define gaps between ocean acidification
8monitoring efforts and management needsend delete
begin insert gaps between the
9monitoring of ocean acidification and hypoxia and management
10needs,end insert
and the actions necessary to address these gaps.

11(2) Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its
12first meeting of the year, adopt recommendations for further actions
13that may be taken to address oceanbegin delete acidification.end deletebegin insert acidification and
14hypoxia.end insert



O

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