BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 71
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 10, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 71 (V. Manuel Perez) - As Amended: March 18, 2013
Policy Committee: Natural
ResourcesVote:15-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
As proposed to be amended, this bill requires the Secretary of
the Natural Resources Agency, in consultation and coordination
with the Salton Sea Authority, to lead Salton Sea Restoration
efforts.
This bill also requires the Salton Sea Authority to undertake a
restoration funding and feasibility study in consultation with
the Agency and a specified technical advisory group.
FISCAL EFFECT
Minor, absorbable costs to the Natural Resources Agency for
overseeing the restoration effort.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose. This bill creates a governance structure to replace
the former Salton Sea Restoration Council by designating the
Natural Resources Agency as the lead agency for restoration
efforts in coordination with the Salton Sea Authority
The Salton Sea Authority is a local Joint Powers Authority
made up of the following five entities: Riverside County,
Imperial County, Imperial Irrigation District (IID), Coachella
Valley Water District (CVWD), and the Torres Martinez Desert
Cahuilla Indians Tribe.
2)Author's Amendments. The author has proposed amendments to
remove the $2 million authorization to fund the restoration
AB 71
Page 2
funding and feasibility study from the Salton Sea Restoration
Fund (SSRF) and will pursue funding in the Budget Act.
3) Background. The Salton Sea, California's largest lake was
formed in 1905 when the Colorado River flooded its banks at a
faulty irrigation diversion site. Restoration is necessary to
protect fish and wildlife habitat, preserve endangered species
and remediate the salinity caused by agricultural runoff.
Restoring the sea will help prevent future significant air
quality problems resulting from the shrinking sea.
The Salton Sea is one of the most important wetland areas in
the world for shorebirds migrating along the Pacific Flyway.
4) The Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA). The QSA was a
negotiated settlement among the Imperial Irrigation District,
The Metropolitan District of Southern California, the
Coachella Water District, the San Diego Water Authority and
the state to settle claims to Colorado River water and
provided a path for the state to reduce its consumption of
Colorado River water to its 4.4 million acre foot entitlement.
In 2003, the Legislature enacted a package of QSA
implementing bills including a requirement to restore the
Salton Sea. Under the QSA, the amount of water flowing into
the Sea will be significantly reduced in 2017. Without
restoration efforts, the environmental consequences of the
reduced flows will be significant to fish, wildlife, habitat
and air quality.
5)Restoration Studies and the Preferred Alternative. The
Resources Agency prepared a restoration study and Programmatic
Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) analyzing alternatives and
identifying a preferred alternative in a May, 2007 Report to
the Legislature. The estimated cost for restoration was
estimated to be $9 billion.
6)The Salton Sea Restoration Council. The Salton Sea
Restoration Council was created in 2010 to serve as the state
agency responsible for overseeing restoration. The Council
was tasked with reviewing the 2007 PEIR and making final
funding and restoration recommendations to the Legislature by
June 2013.
The Governor's 2012 Reorganization plan, as modified by the
Legislature, eliminated the Council before they held their
AB 71
Page 3
first meeting.
This bill instead requires the Natural Resources Agency and
the Salton Sea Authority to update prior funding and
feasibility studies.
7)The Salton Sea Restoration Fund (SSRF). Currently, the
Department of Finance estimates that the SSRF has
approximately a $15 million balance. The use of this fund for
the study would reduce the amount available for either
additional restoration work. The governor's proposed budget
includes an increase of $12.1 million from Proposition 84
funds dedicated for Salton Sea restoration.
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Galehouse / APPR. / (916)
319-2081