BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 859
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Date of Hearing: August 31, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUDGET
Philip Ting, Chair
SB
859 (Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review) - As Amended August
30, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 25-11
SUBJECT: Public resources
SUMMARY: Provides statutory changes related to greenhouse gas
reduction and public resources necessary to implement the 2016
Budget Agreement. Specifically, this bill:
1) Effective November 1, 2016, reduces eligibility for
vehicle rebates offered by the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project
in the following manner:
a. Reduces the maximum income eligibility levels
to qualify for rebates to $150,000 for single filers,
$240,000 for head-of-household filers, and $300,000
for joint filers;
b. Restricts rebates offered to plug-in hybrid
electric vehicles to those that have an electric-only
range of over 20 miles;
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c. Exempts fuel-cell electric cars rebates from
the new income cap, and;
d. Repeals the above provisions on June 30, 2017.
2) Requires a grantee of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds
(GGRF) for dairy programs to determine and mitigate impacts
of investments of a proposed project on pollution, toxic
air containments, groundwater and surface water impacts,
truck traffic, and odor.
3) Requires retail sellers of electricity to purchase a
total of 125 megawatts of power from biomass facilities
that generate electricity from forest materials removed
from specific high fire hazard zones, as designated by
Calfire in the Governor's Proclamation of a State of
Emergency issued October 30, 2015.
4) Stipulates that GGRF grant funding for forest projects
shall reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve forest
health, with priority given to projects that promote
long-term forest management goals.
5) Establishes an urban greening program, which authorizes
the Secretary of Natural Resources to award GGRF funding to
local governments and non-profits to develop greening
projects, such as park expansions. At least 75 percent of
the funding allocated by this program must be awarded to
disadvantaged communities.
6) Establishes a "Healthy Soils Program" which funds farmer
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demonstration projects that achieves greenhouse gas
reductions through increasing soil organic matter and
improving soil structure.
7) Expands the membership and expands the scope of the
Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming.
8) Clarifies that Native American tribes are among the
entities to participate and benefit from statewide efforts
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and can receive
programmatic funding for that purpose.
9) Clarifies the role of a trustee of public lands.
10) Requires the California State Air Board to develop a
standardized emissions greenhouse gas emissions inventory
for natural and working lands and a framework for
accounting for emission reductions from forests.
11) Expands and clarifies the definition of eligible uses
for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Revolving Loan program
operated by CalRecycle.
12) Appropriates $1.4 million from Waste Discharge Permit
Fund for the State Water Control Board to provide grants
for the projects that eliminate public health and safety
risks for wastewater, agricultural and other discharge of
urbanized areas of tributaries of the Salton Sea.
FISCAL EFFECT: This bill provides statutory provisions
associated with the $900 million 2016 Cap and Trade Expenditure
plan contained in SB 830 and AB 1613. This bill also contains a
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$1.4 million special fund appropriation related to the Salton
Sea.
COMMENTS: This budget trailer bill contains provisions
necessary to implement the 2016 Cap and Trade plan. This plan
builds upon the 2016 budget package to allow for the
programmatic spending of Greenhouse Gas Reductions Funds. In
addition, this bill contains statutory provisions related to
removal of biomass resulting from tree mortality.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Christian Griffith / BUDGET /
916-319-2099
SB 859
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