BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                          SB 1253
                                                          Page  1

Date of Hearing:   August 18, 1999

              ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 
                    Carole Migden, Chairwoman

          SB 1253 (Sher) - As Amended: August 16, 1999 

Policy Committee:                              Natural  
ResourcesVote:7-4

Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local  
Program:NoReimbursable:            

  SUMMARY  :

  This bill  requires the California Energy Commission (CEC) to  
undertake a variety of activities to better understand, and  
prepare for the impacts of, greenhouse gas emissions in  
California.  Specifically,  this bill  requires the CEC to:

1)Update and expand, by January 1, 2001, its 1998 inventory of  
  greenhouse gas emissions in California, to continue to update  
  the inventory every five years, and to post it on the CEC  
  website.

2)Acquire and develop data on global climate change and provide,  
  via a series of forums, state, regional, and local agencies,  
  utilities, business, industry and other energy and economic  
  sectors with information on greenhouse gas mitigation  
  measures.

3)Conduct a public workshop prior to finalizing each updated  
  inventory and convene an interagency task force of appropriate  
  state agencies to ensure coordination of global climate change  
  policy.

4)Establish a climate change advisory committee to recommend to  
  the CEC equitable and efficient ways of dealing with climate  
  change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
  
FISCAL EFFECT  :

Moderate costs, about $250,000 in FY 2000-01 and every five  
years after that, to the CEC to update and expand its inventory  
of greenhouse gas emissions and to develop data on global  








                                                          SB 1253
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climate change and provide information to various public  
agencies and private entities.  (Energy Resources Program  
Account.)

  COMMENTS  :

  Rationale  .  The author argues that the problems posed by  
greenhouse gas emissions in California, particularly the  
problems resulting from significant climate change, are severe  
enough and are of such a long-term nature, that continued  
updating and expansion of the greenhouse gas emission inventory  
and the development of new data regarding potential solutions  
and adaptations is warranted.

  Analysis Prepared by  :    Steve Archibald / APPR. / (916)319-2081