BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 246
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Date of Hearing: August 19, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
SB 246
(Wieckowski) - As Amended July 1, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill establishes the Climate Adaptation and Resiliency
Program (Program) to be administered by the Office of Planning
and Research (OPR) to coordinate climate adaptation efforts.
This bill also revises state requirements for updating planning
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guidance and adaptation strategies. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the Director of OPR to establish the Program by
January 1, 2017, to coordinate state, regional and local
agency efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change. To
the extent feasible, requires an emphasis on climate equity as
specified. Requires the Program to include:
a) Assistance to state agencies in coordinating, planning
and preparation of regular updates to the state's Climate
Adaptation Strategy.
b) Assistance to relevant state agencies and public and
private entities to create regular updates to the
adaptation planning guide.
c) Coordination and maintenance of the state's
clearinghouse for climate adaptation information.
1)Requires Cal EPA, the Natural Resources Agency (NRA) and OPR
to update the state's Climate Adaptation Strategy
(Safeguarding California: Reducing Climate Risk, 2014) by
January 1, 2019, and every three years thereafter, as
specified.
2)Requires OPR to update the adaptation planning guide by
January 1, 2018, and every three years thereafter, as
specified.
3)Establishes a 15 member advisory council to support OPR,
including five members appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly and five members appointed by the Senate Rules
Committee.
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4)Requires OPR to establish a clearinghouse for climate
adaptation information as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Increased annual GF costs of $200,000 for OPR to administer
the Program.
2)One-time GF costs of $50,000 for data base development.
3)Ongoing annual costs GF costs of $50,000 for OPR to reimburse
the Cal Tech Agency for webhosting.
4)Absorbable costs for CalEPA and NRA to participate in the
adaptation strategy update.
COMMENTS:
1)Rationale. In 2014, the NRA adopted the Safeguarding
California Plan (an update to the 2009 California Climate
Adaptation Strategy), which begins to lay out a statewide plan
for climate adaptation. However, there is no mechanism for
enforcing this plan or ensuring that state agency or
department actions are consistent with the plan.
The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is tasked with implementing
the Sustainable Communities Strategy and other planning
programs to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gases.
However SCG does not have the authority to plan for climate
adaptation.
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According to the author, the purpose of this bill is to
provide a coordinated comprehensive approach for adapting to
the impacts of climate change.
2)Background. 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. Climate risks in California include
sea level rise, changes in precipitation that increase the
risk of both drought and flooding, and increases in
temperatures that can affect air quality and habitat.
3)Governor's Executive Order. The Governor's executive order
issued on April 29, 2015, requires NRA to update the state's
climate adaptation strategy (The Safeguarding California plan)
every three years and ensure that its provisions are fully
implemented. The Safeguarding California plan will:
a) 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
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ocean and coastal resources,
b) Outline primary risks to residents, property,
communities and natural systems from these vulnerabilities,
and identify priority actions needed to reduce these risks.
c) Identify a lead agency or group of agencies to lead
adaptation efforts in each sector.
The executive order further requires each sector to prepare an
implementation plan by September 2015 to outline the actions
that will be taken as identified in Safeguarding California,
and report back to NRA by June 2016 on actions taken. This
bill is consistent with this executive order.
1)Related Legislation. AB 1482 (Gordon) codifies a portion of
the Governor's executive order and requires the NRA to assess
and coordinate across all state departments and agencies to
identify opportunities to adapt to the impacts of climate
change. This bill is pending in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
This bill has a different, but overlapping approach to
developing the state's adaptation policy. The author may wish
to work with Assemblymember Gordon to reconcile the
differences in their respective bills and develop a
comprehensive approach.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
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