BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1386 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair SB 1386 (Wolk) - As Amended August 1, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Natural Resources |Vote:|7 - 1 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill declares it is the policy of the state that the protection and management of natural and working lands is an important strategy in meeting the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals. Additionally, this bill: 1)Requires all 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. Requires agencies to implement this policy in conjunction with its strategies to meet GHG reduction goals SB 1386 Page 2 and promote cooperation with owners of natural and working lands. 2)Defines "working lands" to mean lands used for farming, grazing, or the production of forest products. 3)Defines "natural lands" to means lands consisting of forests, grasslands, deserts, freshwater and riparian systems, wetlands, coastal and estuarine areas, watersheds, wildlands, wildlife habitat, or lands used for recreational purposes as specified. 4)Provides nothing in this bill affects the existing authority of a local government, state agency, department, commission, or board relating to natural and working lands. FISCAL EFFECT: Minor, absorbable costs. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. According to the author, the conservation and management of natural and working lands is a key strategy in California's ongoing efforts to meet its climate change goals given these sectors' significant potential for removing carbon from the air and storing or sequestering it in, above, and below ground. SB 1386 Page 3 The author contends that despite the enormous sequestration potential, the protection and management of natural and working lands is not codified as a state policy that would last beyond this Administration. This bill codifies as state policy California's strategy to protect and manage natural and working lands as a key part of the effort to achieve our climate change goals. 2)Natural and Working Lands. Three-quarters of California's landmass is comprised of biologically diverse landscapes such as forests, woodlands, shrublands, grasslands and wetlands. These lands can be a major source of sequestration through capturing carbon in soils, plants, and trees. They can also be a source of GHG emissions when drought, disease, wildfires, soil disturbances, conversion, and harvests occur. Through preservation and management, natural and working lands can provide significant GHG reductions. Natural and working lands are also susceptible to climate change impacts of sea level rise, drought, and increased temperatures. Analysis Prepared by:Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 SB 1386 Page 4