Bill Text: CA SB359 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Climate change: Resilient Merced County Incentive Pilot Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB359 Detail]

Download: California-2021-SB359-Amended.html

---

Amended  IN  Senate  March 04, 2021

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 359

---

Introduced by Senator Caballero

February 09, 2021

---

An act relating to climate change. An act to add and repeal Section 616 of the Public Resources Code, relating to climate change.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 359, as amended, Caballero. Climate change: natural and working lands.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with monitoring and regulating sources of emissions of greenhouse gases. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. Existing law requires all moneys, except for fines and penalties, collected by the state board from the auction or sale of allowances as part of a market-based compliance mechanism to be deposited in the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Existing law continuously appropriates 20% of the annual proceeds of the fund to the Strategic Growth Council for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, as provided. Under its authority, the Strategic Growth Council establishes the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program as a component of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program to provide incentives for conservation of agricultural lands.

This bill would, until ____, require the Department of Conservation to develop and implement the Resilient Merced County Incentive Pilot Program to assist the County of Merced to develop and adopt a climate action plan through the use of a scenario-planning tool developed by the department and provide financial assistance to private landowners in implementing activities resulting from the use of the scenario-planning tool set forth in the adopted climate action plan. The bill would specify that activities described above are eligible for incentives under the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program, as provided. The bill would require the department, by ____, to submit to the Legislature a report on the results of the pilot program.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for County of Merced.

The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to ensure that statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the 1990 level by 2030.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to advance a pilot project to be administered by the Department of Conservation in the County of Merced that will support county-scale efforts to integrate natural and working lands in its land use and climate action plans and provide financial incentives and technical assistance to landowners to voluntarily implement activities that support those plans.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

---

Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 616 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

616.

 (a) The department shall develop and implement the Resilient Merced County Incentive Pilot Program to do both of the following:

(1) Assist the County of Merced, by providing financial and technical assistance, to support the county’s climate action plan development and goals through the use of a scenario-planning tool developed by the department, including the TerraCount tool, that models the greenhouse gas and natural resource implications of different land use development patterns and management activities.

(2) Provide financial assistance to private landowners to voluntarily implement activities resulting from the scenario-planning tool and supported by the County of Merced to help meet its climate goals.

(b) Activities described in subdivision (a) are eligible for grants under the Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation Program that is funded by the Strategic Growth Council consistent with the requirements of Part 1 (commencing with Section 75200) of Division 44.

(c) On or before ____, the department shall submit to the Legislature, in accordance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, a report on the results of the pilot program and a recommendation as to whether the program should be expanded to other areas of the state.

(d) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, ____, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 2.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because the Department of Conservation and the Nature Conservancy, in collaboration with the County of Merced, has developed a scenario-planning tool, known as TerraCount, to model greenhouse gas and natural resources implications of different development patterns and management activities and it would be desirable to determine the efficacy of this tool by implementing a pilot project to provide incentives for the implementation of voluntary activities informed by the tool to accomplish the regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals for the County of Merced.

SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to advance a pilot project to be administered by the Department of Conservation in the County of Merced that will support county-scale efforts to integrate natural and working lands in its land use and climate action plans and provide financial incentives and technical assistance to landowners to voluntarily implement activities that support those plans.