BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1363
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Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
SB 1363
(Monning) - As Amended June 29, 2016
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|Policy |Natural Resources |Vote:|8 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires Ocean Protection Council (OPC), in
consultation with the Coastal Conservancy (Conservancy), to
establish and administer the Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia
Reduction Program (Program). Specifically, this bill:
1)To the extent funds are available, requires the OPC, in
consultation with the Conservancy and other relevant entities,
to establish and administer the Program to achieve the
following goals:
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a) Developing demonstration projects to research how
important environmental and ecological factors interact
across space and time to influence how geographically
dispersed eelgrass beds remove carbon dioxide (CO2) and
reduce hypoxia.
b) Generating an inventory of locations where conservation
or restoration of aquatic habitats, including eelgrass, can
mitigate ocean acidification and hypoxia.
c) Incorporating consideration of CO2 removal for eel grass
restoration projects during the habitat restoration
planning process.
d) Supporting science, monitoring, and coordination to
ensure that ocean and coastal policy and management reflect
the best science on ocean acidification and hypoxia.
2)Authorizes OPC to provide grants or loans to private entities
for projects that further public purposes consistent with the
findings in this bill or the Program.
FISCAL EFFECT:
1)Unknown, significant cost pressures, likely in the tens of
millions of dollars or more, to fund the goals of the program
and provide grants or loans to private entities (GF or special
fund).
2)Unknown, potentially significant costs for OPC to develop and
administer the program (GF or special fund.) However, OPC is
only required to develop and administer the program to the
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extent funds are available.
3)Minor costs to the Conservancy (special fund) for
consultation.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The April 2016 report by the West Coast Ocean
Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel and the Ocean Science
Trust, in collaboration with the OPC, "The West Coast Ocean
Acidification and Hypoxia Science Panel: Major Findings,
recommendations, and Action," indicates that although ocean
acidification is a global issue, the California's coast will
experience some of the most severe and earliest changes in
ocean carbon chemistry.
According to the author, by investing in the restoration of
eelgrass habitat on California's coast, this bill provides the
co-benefits of ocean acidification mitigation, sea-level rise
mitigation, carbon sequestration, water quality improvement,
and fish habitat, while also supporting the state's coastal
economy.
2)Ocean Acidification. The ocean absorbs about one-third of the
CO2 that is released into the atmosphere each year from the
burning of fossil fuels and other human activities. As the
CO2 levels in the atmosphere increase, so do the levels in the
ocean. This changes the chemistry of the water and threatens
marine ecosystems and coastal communities dependent on the
health of the sea.
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Ocean acidification is the lowering of the pH of the ocean and
changing of the ocean's chemistry, which can lead to low
dissolved oxygen water (hypoxia) in ocean ecosystems. Ocean
acidification will likely have major impacts on the fisheries
and aquaculture industries in California. It could also have
a profound effect on marine ecosystems leading to reduced
biodiversity.
3)The Ocean Protection Council. The California Ocean Protection
Act of 2004 created the OPC. The OPC is tasked with: 1)
coordinating activities of ocean-related state agencies to
improve the effectiveness of state efforts to protect ocean
resources within existing fiscal limitations; 2) establishing
policies to coordinate the collection and sharing of
scientific data related to coast and ocean resources between
agencies; and 3) identifying and recommending changes in state
and federal law and policy.
4)Related Legislation. AB 2139 (Williams, 2016) authorizes the
OPC to develop an ocean acidification and hypoxia science task
force to ensure council decision making is supported by the
best available science. This bill is currently pending in the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
SB 1363
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319-2081