Amended in Assembly June 20, 2016

Amended in Assembly August 26, 2015

Senate BillNo. 20


Introduced by Senator Pavley

December 1, 2014


An act to addbegin delete Division 36 (commencing with Section 86000) to the Water Code, relating to water.end deletebegin insert Article 7 (commencing with Section 43890) to Chapter 4 of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicular air pollution.end insert

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 20, as amended, Pavley. begin deleteCalifornia Water Resiliency Investment Act. end deletebegin insertLow Carbon Fuels Council.end insert

begin insert

Existing law establishes the California Alternative and Renewable Fuel, Vehicle Technology, Clean Air, and Carbon Reduction Act of 2007, which includes the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, administered by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, and the Air Quality Improvement Program, administered by the State Air Resources Board. Existing law requires the emphasis of the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program to be to develop and deploy technology and alternative and renewable fuels in the marketplace, without adopting any one preferred fuel or technology. Existing law requires the primary purpose of the Air Quality Improvement Program to be the funding of projects to reduce criteria air pollutants, to improve air quality, and to fund research to determine and improve the air quality impacts of alternative transportation fuels and vehicles, vessels, and equipment technologies.

end insert
begin insert

This bill would create the Low Carbon Fuels Council, as specified, which, among other things, would coordinate state agencies’ activities that are related to the acceleration and development of the instate production of low carbon fuels.

end insert
begin delete

Under existing law, various measures provide funding for water resources projects, facilities, and programs.

end delete
begin delete

This bill would create the California Water Resiliency Investment Fund in the State Treasury and provide that moneys in the fund are available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose of providing a more dependable water supply for California. This bill would create various accounts within the fund for prescribed purposes.

end delete

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertArticle 7 (commencing with Section 43890) is
2added to Chapter 4 of Part 5 of Division 26 of the end insert
begin insertHealth and
3Safety Code
end insert
begin insert, to read:end insert

begin insert

4 

5Article begin insert7.end insert  Low Carbon Fuels Council
6

 

7

begin insert43890.end insert  

For purposes of this section, “council” means the Low
8Carbon Fuels Council, established pursuant to this article.

9

begin insert43892.end insert  

(a) The Low Carbon Fuels Council is hereby
10established.

11
(b) (1) The council shall consist of five members as follows:

12
(A) Chair of the state board.

13
(B) Chair of the State Energy Resources Conservation and
14Development Commission.

15
(C) One member appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.

16
(D) One member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

17
(E) One member appointed by the Governor.

18
(2) The members appointed pursuant to subparagraphs (C) and
19(D) of paragraph (1) shall have a scientific, economic, or industry
20professional background in the production of low carbon fuels.

21
(3) The member appointed pursuant to subparagraph (E) of
22paragraph (1) shall be appointed on the basis of his or her
23educational and professional qualifications and general knowledge
24of and interest in the production of low carbon fuels.

P3    1
(4) The members appointed pursuant to subparagraphs (C) to
2(E), inclusive, of paragraph (1) shall serve for a term of four years,
3and may be reappointed.

4
(c) Except as provided in this subdivision, members of the
5council shall serve without compensation. A member shall be
6reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
7 performance of his or her duties and shall be compensated one
8hundred dollars ($100) for each day during which the member is
9engaged in the performance of his or her official duties related to
10the council.

11

begin insert43894.end insert  

The council’s meetings shall be open to the public and
12comply with the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
13(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
14Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

15

begin insert43896.end insert  

(a) The council shall do all of the following:

16
(1) Coordinate state agencies’ activities that are related to the
17acceleration and development of the instate production of low
18carbon fuels.

19
(2) Identify and address any gaps in existing programs, policies,
20or activities that may impede the instate construction of new, or
21the expansion of existing, low carbon fuel production facilities.

22
(3) Make recommendations to the Legislature for changes in
23the law needed to achieve the goals of this subdivision.

24
(b) The council may sponsor conferences, symposia, and other
25public forums to seek a broad range of public advice.

end insert
begin delete
26

SECTION 1.  

Division 36 (commencing with Section 86000)
27is added to the Water Code, to read:

28 

29Division 36.  California Water Resiliency
30Investment Act

31

31 

32Chapter  1. General Provisions
33

 

34

86000.  

This division shall be known and may be cited as the
35California Water Resiliency Investment Act.

36

86010.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

37(a) California’s extreme multiyear drought is raising significant
38concerns regarding the long-term dependability of water supplies
39that are critical to the state’s residents, economy, and environment.

P4    1(b) Nearly three-quarters of California is impacted by the severe
2drought underscoring the need for additional statewide action.

3(c) The 2015 water year was the driest winter in California’s
4written record and water experts indicate that we could face
5multiyear droughts that extend years beyond any droughts
6previously experienced by the state.

7(d) California could lose 25 percent of the Sierra snowpack by
82050 as a result of warmer weather, according to the department.
9Because the Sierra snowpack is our largest water reservoir, this
10loss will significantly reduce water supplies when Californians
11need them the most.

12(e) By 2050, California is expected to add more than 10 million
13residents, placing even greater pressure on our water supplies.

14(f) The current drought has had a disproportionate impact on
15disadvantaged communities. Falling groundwater levels in portions
16of the state from reduced rainfall and increased groundwater
17pumping have left more than 2,000 wells dry or critically near dry,
18impacting more than 10,000 residents and with a disproportionate
19impact on disadvantaged communities.

20(g) Furthermore, thousands of residents of disadvantaged
21communities lack access to a secure long-term supply of clean
22drinking water due to polluted groundwater and falling groundwater
23levels.

24(h) Reduced streamflows and water for wildlife areas have had
25a severe impact on fish and wildlife populations, threatening some
26species with extinction.

27(i) Reports by the Public Policy Institute of California and others
28indicate that state and local agencies face a multibillion dollar
29annual funding deficit in addressing the state’s long-term water
30needs and that greater investments are needed to protect the state’s
31economy and natural resources and to ensure that disadvantaged
32communities have access to safe drinking water.

33(j) Enactment of Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply, and
34Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, provided a critical down
35payment to address California’s near-term and long-term water
36needs. Additional actions are needed now to ensure state and local
37agencies continue to make the needed investments to provide a
38more dependable water system to meet California’s ongoing needs.

39(k) To protect the public health and welfare and to protect
40residential, agricultural, commercial, and environmental uses of
P5    1water, it is vital that state and local agencies have the resources
2they need to make responsible and reasonable investments in a
3more dependable water supply, including by making more efficient
4use of California’s current sources of water.

5 

6Chapter  2. California Water Resiliency Investment
7Program
8

 

9

86020.  

(a) The California Water Resiliency Investment Fund
10is hereby created in the State Treasury. Moneys in the fund are
11available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purpose
12of, and in held in trust for, providing a more dependable water
13supply for California.

14(b) The following accounts are hereby created within the
15California Water Resiliency Investment Fund:

16(1) The Emergency Drought Response and Recovery Account
17to support emergency actions to protect vulnerable populations
18from the severe impacts of droughts, including providing
19emergency drinking water and other residential water supplies,
20food assistance, employment training and placement, and other
21economic relief.

22(2) The Integrated Regional Water Resiliency and Management
23Account to provide matching grants to local and regional agencies
24to increase regional self-reliance and result in integrated,
25multibenefit solutions for ensuring sustainable water resources.
26Eligible projects may include groundwater storage, wastewater
27recycling, stormwater capture, water conservation, flood
28management, and other water supply and quality projects.

29(3) The Safe Drinking Water for Disadvantaged Communities
30Account to support planning, construction, operation, and
31maintenance of drinking water systems for disadvantaged
32communities.

33(4) The Environmental Resilience and Recovery Account to
34provide funding to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats
35and populations to avoid or reduce conflicts with water
36management systems. Funding from the account shall only be used
37for projects that will provide fisheries, wildlife, or ecosystems with
38benefits or improvements that are greater than required applicable
39environmental mitigation measures or compliance obligations and
P6    1shall not be used to pay for the mitigation or environmental review
2costs of any current or proposed water supply project.

3(5) The Smart Water Data Program Account to support improved
4data and information systems that enable better management of
5water resources and to further facilitate expansion of water markets.

end delete


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