Amended in Assembly June 29, 2016

Amended in Senate May 2, 2016

Amended in Senate March 28, 2016

Senate BillNo. 1386


Introduced by Senator Wolk

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(Coauthor: Senator Wieckowski)

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(Coauthor: Assembly Member McCarty)

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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 allbegin delete relevantend delete 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:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:

3(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 goals.

7(b) Natural and working lands store considerable amounts of
8carbon. Terrestrial ecosystems store 2,100 gigatons of carbon.
9Natural and working lands are unique in that they can actively
10remove carbon from the atmosphere and store or sequester that
11carbon in, above, and below the ground.

12(c) Promoting the conservation and management of natural and
13working lands will result in a variety of outcomes that contribute
14to carbon sequestration, including, but not limited to, conservation
15and agricultural easements on natural and working lands, no- or
16low-till agriculture, cover cropping on agricultural lands, the
17restoration of degraded lands, including the restoration of
18vegetation, and agency decisions that avoid the loss of natural and
19working lands.

20(d) The conservation and management of natural and working
21lands to promote carbon sequestration will also deliver important
22additional public benefits, including, but not limited to, the
23protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat, parks and open
24spaces, and recreational and economic opportunities, the production
25of food and fiber, the improvement of air and water quality, and
26flood protection.

27

SEC. 2.  

Section 9001.5 is added to the Public Resources Code,
28to read:

29

9001.5.  

(a) It is the policy of the state that the protection and
30management of natural and working lands is a key strategy in
31meeting the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The
32protection and management of those lands can result in the removal
33of carbon from the atmosphere and the sequestration of carbon in,
34above, and below the ground.

35(b) The protection and management of natural and working
36lands provides multiple public benefits, including, but not limited
37to, assisting with adaptation to the impacts of climate change,
38improving water quality and quantity, flood protection, ensuring
P3    1healthy fish and wildlife populations, and providing recreational
2and economic benefits.

3(c) Allbegin delete relevantend delete state agencies,begin delete includingend deletebegin insert including, but not
4limited to,end insert
the Natural Resources Agency, the Department of Food
5and Agriculture, and the California Environmental Protection
6Agency, and their respective departments, boards, and
7commissions, shall consider the policy set forth inbegin delete subdivision (a)end delete
8begin insert this sectionend insert when revising, adopting, or establishing policies,
9regulations, expenditures, or grant criteria relating to the protection
10and management of natural and working lands.

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

13(1) “Working lands” means lands used for farming, grazing, or
14
begin delete forest production purposes.end deletebegin insert the production of forest products.end insert

15(2) “Natural lands” means lands consisting ofbegin delete wetlands,end deletebegin insert forests,
16grasslands, deserts, freshwater and riparian systems, wetlands,
17coastal and estuarine areas,end insert
watersheds, wildlands, or wildlife
18habitat, orbegin insert landsend insert used for recreational purposes such as parks, urban
19and community forests, trails, greenbelts, and other open-space
20land. For purposes of this paragraph, “parks” includes, but is not
21limited to, areas that provide public green space.



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