BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    









                  SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WILDLIFE
                                           

                             Senator Sheila Kuehl, Chair
                              2003-2004 Regular Session

               BILL NO:       AB 2529
               AUTHOR:   Kehoe
               AMENDED:       June 16, 2004
               FISCAL:        Yes            HEARING DATE:June 22, 2004
               URGENCY:       No        CONSULTANT:Anka Lee
               SUBJECT:       Water quality: marine managed areas

               Summary:       AB 2529 would establish a Marine Managed  
               Areas Program to grant monetary awards for capital projects  
               that would restore and protect the water quality and  
               environment of protected marine areas.

               Existing Law: The Legislature passed the Marine Managed  
               Areas Improvement Act in 2000, authored by Assembly Member  
               Kevin Shelley, to "streamline the process for identifying  
               and protecting special marine waters and habitats" (Chapter  
               385, Statutes of 2000). 

               In 2002, voters approved the Water Security, Clean Drinking  
               Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act (also known as  
               Proposition 50). One purpose of the Act, under Water Code  
               Section 79501 (h), recognizes the state's responsibility to  
               keep "coastal waters safe from water pollution, and to  
               provide the wildlife and plant habitat and riparian and  
               wetlands areas needed to support functioning coastal?  
               ecosystems for the benefit of the people of California."

               Proposed Law: AB 2529 would establish a Marine Managed  
               Areas Program to allocate Proposition 50 money as grants or  
               awards to projects designed to improve water quality in  
               marine managed areas, with priorities given to projects  
               that "treat or otherwise remove existing waste discharges,  
               or prevent probable waste discharges, into areas of special  
               biological significance." This bill also sets forth  












               procedures for the Program to follow in awarding money to  
               projects. In addition, AB 2529 requires the recipients of  
               funding to submit reports to indicate "whether the purposes  
               of the project(s) have been met."
               
               Arguments in Support: The Ocean Conservancy (OC) writes  
               that the program proposed in the bill would "ensure that  
               the standards set to protect the uses of marine managed  
               areas will be implemented in a cost effective manner, and  
               would provide lasting benefits for the coast and the  
               millions of Californians who visit and use it."

               The Planning and Conservation League notes that the Marine  
          Managed Areas Program                                        
          would ensure that all protection efforts are "implemented in a  
          cost effective manner."

               The Defenders of Wildlife states that the bill would  
               "provide for the increased opportunity to protect the water  
               quality of [the] marine managed areas by establishing a  
               grant program to fund projects that restore and protect  
               water quality."

               Arguments in Opposition: None recorded.
               
               SUPPORT: 
               Advocates for Wild, Healthy Oceans
               Defenders of Wildlife
               Environment California
               Natural Resources Defense Council
               Planning and Conservation League
               San Diego Bay Keeper
               Sierra Club of California
               The Ocean Conservancy (Sponsor)

               OPPOSITION: >
               None received