Amended in Senate May 2, 2016

Amended in Senate March 28, 2016

Senate BillNo. 1386


Introduced by Senator Wolk

February 19, 2016


An act to add Section 9001.5 to the Public Resources Code, relating to resource conservation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1386, as amended, Wolk. Resource conservation: working and natural lands.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act requires all state agencies to consider and implement strategies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

This bill would declare it to be the policy of the state that the protection and management of natural and working lands, as defined, is a key strategy in meeting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, and would require all relevant state agencies, departments, boards, and commissions to consider this policy when revising, adopting, or establishing policies, regulations, expenditures, or grant criteria relating to the protection and management of natural and working lands.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:

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(a) To address the critical issue of global warming, California
4is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conservation
5and management of natural and working lands has been identified
6as a key strategy to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction
7goals.

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(b) Natural and working lands store considerable amounts of
9carbon. Terrestrial ecosystems store 2,100 gigatons of carbon.
10Natural and working lands are unique in that they can actively
11remove carbon from the atmosphere and store or sequester that
12carbon in, above, and below the ground.

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(c) Promoting the conservation and management of natural and
14working lands will result in a variety of outcomes that contribute
15to carbon sequestration, including, but not limited to, conservation
16and agricultural easements on natural and working lands, no- or
17low-till agriculture, cover cropping on agricultural lands, the
18restoration of degraded lands, including the restoration of
19vegetation, and agency decisions that avoid the loss of natural and
20working lands.

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(d) The conservation and management of natural and working
22lands to promote carbon sequestration will also deliver important
23additional public benefits, including, but not limited to, the
24protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat, parks and open
25spaces, and recreational and economic opportunities, the
26production of food and fiber, the improvement of air and water
27quality, and flood protection.

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Section 9001.5 is added to the Public Resources Code,
30to read:

31

9001.5.  

(a) It is the policy of the state that the protection and
32management of natural and working lands is a key strategy in
33meeting the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The
34protection and management of those lands can result in the removal
35of carbon from the atmosphere and the sequestration of carbon in,
36above, and below the ground.

37(b) The protection and management of natural and working
38lands provides multiple public benefits, including, but not limited
P3    1to, assisting with adaptation to the impacts of climate change,
2improving water quality and quantity, flood protection, ensuring
3healthy fish and wildlife populations, and providing recreational
4and economic benefits.

5(c) All relevant state agencies, including the Natural Resources
6Agency, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the
7California Environmental Protection Agency, and their respective
8departments, boards, and commissions, shall consider the policy
9set forth in subdivision (a) when revising, adopting, or establishing
10policies, regulations, expenditures, or grant criteria relating to the
11protection and management of natural and working lands.

12(d) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
13following meanings:

14(1) “Working lands” means lands used for farming, grazing, or
15forest production purposes.

16(2) “Natural lands” means lands consisting of wetlands,
17watersheds, wildlands, or wildlife habitat, or used for recreational
18purposes such as parks, urban and community forests, trails,
19greenbelts, and other open-space land. For purposes of this
20paragraph, “parks” includes, but is not limited to, areas that provide
21public green space.



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