BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
1241 (Wolk)
Hearing Date: 05/27/2010 Amended: 04/22/2010
Consultant: Brendan McCarthy Policy Vote: F&A 3-1, EQ 4-2
SB 1241 (Wolk), Page 2
_________________________________________________________________
____
BILL SUMMARY: SB 1241 establishes the California Agricultural
Climate Benefits Advisory Committee within the Department of
Food and Agriculture. The Advisory Committee is required to
advise the Air Resources Board on ways to support agricultural
activities that reduce climate change impacts. The Advisory
Committee is required to recommend strategies to implement
several specified activities relating to agriculture and climate
change.
_________________________________________________________________
____
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
Advisory Committee staff $150 to $300 per year General
/
support Special
*
* Air Pollution Control Fund.
_________________________________________________________________
____
STAFF COMMENTS: Suspense File.
Under AB 32 (Nunez, Chapter 488, Statutes of 2006), the Air
Resources Board is required to approve a statewide greenhouse
gas emission limit, such that statewide emissions in 2020 are
equal to emissions in 1990. The Air Resources Board is required
to implement regulatory measures to reduce emissions to meet
that target.
SB 1241 establishes the California Agricultural Climate Benefits
Advisory Committee within the Department of Food and
Agriculture. The Advisory Committee will have twelve members,
including five members who are agricultural producers, three
members who are researchers at institutions of higher education,
three members from non-profit organizations with expertise on
climate change and agricultural issues, and one member who is an
agricultural processor.
The Advisory Committee is required to advise the Air Resources
Board on strategies to support agricultural activities that
reduce global warming impacts that may negatively impact
SB 1241 (Wolk), Page 2
agriculture. The Advisory Committee is also required to
recommend strategies to implement and secure resources for 1)
research and demonstration projects that reduce greenhouse gas
emissions or sequester carbon through agriculture, 2) technical
assistance for agricultural producers to reduce emissions and
sequester carbon, and 3) financial incentives for agricultural
practices that reduce emissions or sequester carbon.
The law will become inoperative on July 1, 2013.
The bill directs the Department to implement the bill within
existing resources. However, due to the technical nature of the
issues to be considered by the Advisory Committee, staff
estimates that one to two additional positions will be necessary
to support the Advisory Committee and provide technical
analysis. It is not likely these positions could be supported by
existing resources.
In the 2010-11 budget year, the Air Resources Board will begin
levying a fee on certain greenhouse gas emitters to finance the
state's implementation of AB 32 (and to pay back loans from
special funds to support previous activities). The fees will be
based on the estimated expenditures in the enacted budget.
Because the requirements of this bill are not likely to be
included in the 2010-11 budget, activities required under the
bill are likely to be funded from the General Fund. In future
years, expenses of the Advisory Committee may be funded from AB
32 fees.