BILL ANALYSIS �
SJR 17
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SENATE THIRD READING
SJR 17 (Corbett)
As Amended April 25, 2012
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :28-9
NATURAL RESOURCES 6-3
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|Ayes:|Chesbro, Brownley, | | |
| |Dickinson, Huffman, | | |
| |Monning, Skinner | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Knight, Grove, Halderman | | |
| | | | |
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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
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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
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 : Unknown. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by
the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : 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% 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.
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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, depending on funding
availability.
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 the San
Francisco Bay estuary. 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."
The author of this resolution notes that "�t]here 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."
Analysis Prepared by : Mario DeBernardo / NAT. RES. / (916)
319-2092
FN: 0004126
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