BILL ANALYSIS �
SJR 17
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 18, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
Wesley Chesbro, Chair
SJR 17 (Corbett) - As Amended: April 25, 2012
SENATE VOTE: 28-9
SUBJECT : Coastal resources: San Francisco Bay
SUMMARY : Grants the Legislature's endorsement to the San
Francisco Bay Restoration Act (the Act) and urges the United
States Congress to enact the Act promptly.
EXISTING LAW : Pursuant to the federal Clean Water Act:
1)Establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of
pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating
quality standards for surface waters.
2)Creates the National Estuary Program and allows the governor
of any state to nominate to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (US EPA) an estuary as an estuary of
national significance and request a management conference to
develop a comprehensive management plan for the estuary. If
the US EPA determines that the estuary requires the control of
point and nonpoint sources of pollution to supplement existing
controls of pollution in more than one state, it shall select
such estuary and convene a management conference.
3)Requires an estuary management conference to (1) assess trends
in water quality, natural resources, and uses of the estuary;
(2) collect, characterize, and assess data on toxics,
nutrients, and natural resources within the estuarine zone to
identify the causes of environmental problems; (3) develop the
relationship between the inplace loads and point and nonpoint
loadings of pollutants to the estuarine zone and the potential
uses of the zone, water quality, and natural resources; (4)
develop a comprehensive conservation and management plan that
recommends priority corrective actions and compliance
schedules addressing point and nonpoint sources of pollution
to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological
integrity of the estuary, including restoration and
maintenance of water quality, a balanced indigenous population
of shellfish, fish and wildlife, and recreational activities
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in the estuary, and assure that the designated uses of the
estuary are protected; (5) develop plans for the coordinated
implementation of the plan by the states as well as federal
and local agencies participating in the conference; (6)
monitor the effectiveness of actions taken pursuant to the
plan; and (7) review federal financial assistance programs and
federal development projects to determine whether such
assistance program or project would be consistent with and
further the purposes and objectives of the comprehensive
management plan for the estuary.
4)Requires the US EPA, not later than 120 days after the
completion of a conservation and management plan and after
providing for public review and comment, to approve such plan
if the plan meets the requirements of this section and the
affected governor concurs.
5)Authorizes the US EPA to make grants to pay for activities
necessary for the development and implementation of a
comprehensive conservation and management plan.
FISCAL EFFECT : Non-fiscal
COMMENTS :
1)Purpose of the Joint Resolution. According to the author:
The deteriorating ecological condition and the rising
sea level of the San Francisco Bay are threatening the
many benefits it provides to the 7 million residents
of the Bay Area.
Between the years 1900 and 2000, the sea level rose
approximately 8 inches in the Bay. The California
Ocean Protection Council estimates the sea level will
rise an additional 14 inches by the year 2050 and 55
inches by the year 2100. The swelling sea level
threatens commercial, residential, and industrial
structures around the San Francisco Bay.
Restoration of the San Francisco Bay has lagged behind
similar efforts in other major American watersheds due
to the lack of federal funding. Continued delays in
pursuing water quality improvement and wetland
restoration projects endangers flood protection and in
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turn makes the projects more costly to undertake.
There is a large disparity between what the San
Francisco Bay receives in federal dollars and what
watershed programs around the country receive.
Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes have each received
$151,833,000 and $596,741,000, respectively, over the
last five years. In contrast, the San Francisco Bay
only received $16,922,000, over the same period.
The Act, authored by Congresswoman Jackie Speier (H.R. 3034)
and Senator Dianne Feinstein (S. 97), authorizes up to $20
million annually over five years to the US EPA to fund efforts
to restore and improve the environmental health of San
Francisco Bay. According to Congresswoman Speier, "�the Act]
will take major strides to curb the harmful effects of
pollution while conserving water resources, restoring wetland
habitat, protecting fish and wildlife, and helping local
communities keep the Bay clean."
2)Background. The San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary is the
largest estuary on the West Coast and a vital resource for the
state's human and wildlife populations. The estuary system
encompasses roughly 1,600 square miles, drains over 40 percent
of the state (60,000 square miles), provides drinking water to
22 million Californians (two-thirds of the state's
population), and irrigates 4.5 million acres of farmland.
Two-thirds of the state's salmon pass through the Bay and
delta, as do nearly half of the waterfowl and shorebirds
migrating along the Pacific Flyway.
In 1987, California's governor nominated San Francisco Bay as
an estuary of national significance under the National Estuary
Program, and the US EPA officially added the Bay-Delta estuary
to the program in December 1987. The San Francisco Estuary
Partnership (Estuary Partnership) is the management conference
for the San Francisco Bay estuary. The Estuary Partnership
created and tracks implementation of the Estuary's
comprehensive management plan; manages over 50 technical
research and restoration projects; and educates the public
about Bay-Delta ecological issues including wetlands,
wildlife, aquatic resources, and land use. The work of the
Estuary Partnership is funded through an array of over 35
different federal, state, and local grants and contracts, and
operates on an annual budget of approximately $6 to 8 million,
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depending on funding availability.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Marin Audubon Society
PRBO Conservation Science
San Francisco Bay Joint Venture
San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Save the Bay
The Bay Institute
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Mario DeBernardo / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092