Environment and Natural Resources Publications

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Proposition 30: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Air Pollution and Prevent Wildfires by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million. Initiative Statute.

August 10, 2022 - Presented to: Senate Governance and Finance Committee Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water

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Initiative Statute: Provides Funding for Programs to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Increasing Tax on Personal Income Over $2 Million

May 31, 2022 - Presented to: Assembly Committee on Transportation Assembly Committee on Natural Resources Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy

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The 2022-23 Budget: Fuel Price and Other Fiscal Relief Options

May 12, 2022 - In response to increasing prices across the economy—particularly fuel prices—the Legislature is contemplating a number of policies for providing fiscal relief to Californians. In this post, we identify key questions for the Legislature to consider when analyzing the merits of the options proposed by the Governor and in designing its own relief package.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Pesticide Enforcement

May 5, 2022 - In this post, we assess the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals to (1) provide additional administrative penalty authority to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) for pesticide use and residue violations, (2) increase several existing pesticide-related penalties, and (3) provide funding to DPR to investigate and pursue pesticide use and residue enforcement cases.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Cap-and-Trade Revenue Update

April 29, 2022 - This budget post provides an update on cap-and-trade revenue and resources available for discretionary spending.

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Climate Change Impacts Across California - Crosscutting Issues

April 5, 2022 - This report contains four primary sections: (1) a description of the five key climate hazards affecting California, (2) the major ways those hazards impact sectors across the state, (3) significant existing state‑level efforts underway to address climate change impacts, and (4) key issues for the Legislature to consider in response to these impacts. This is one of a series of reports summarizing how climate change will impact different sectors across California.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate

February 28, 2022 - Provides our comments and recommendation to approve the Governor's proposal to fund the Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges mandate.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Zero-Emission Vehicle Package

February 23, 2022 - This brief provides our assessment and recommendations on the Governor's proposed 2022-23 zero-emission vehicle package.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Clean Energy Package

February 22, 2022 - This brief provides overarching comments on the Governor's $2 billion clean energy package and recommendations related to a few of the proposed programs.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Office of Planning and Research Budget Proposals

February 9, 2022 - This budget post describes the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposals for the Office of Planning and Research and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Water and Drought Response Proposals

January 31, 2022 - This brief describes and assesses the Governor's 2022-23 water resilience and drought response funding proposals.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Oil Well Abandonment and Remediation

January 31, 2022 - The Governor’s budget proposes $200 million General Fund over two years for the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) within the Department of Conservation (DOC) to plug deserted wells and decommission associated facilities. Although addressing deserted wells could have environmental, health, and safety benefits, this proposal represents a significant expansion of current well remediation activities. In addition, federal funding for well remediation activities will soon be available. Furthermore, it may be appropriate for the current oil and gas operators to bear at least some of the cost of remediating the environmental damages from these wells—rather than the general taxpayer through the state General Fund. We recommend the Legislature consider reducing the amount of state funding proposed, consider using alternative sources of funding to support well remediation, and require reporting on key program outcomes to inform future funding decisions.

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The 2022-23 Budget: State Water Resources Control Board—Bay-Delta Plan Update

January 31, 2022 - In this post, we discuss the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB’s) efforts to update the water quality control plan for the Sacramento‑San Joaquin Bay‑Delta and its source rivers.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Wildfire Response Proposals

January 28, 2022 - In this brief, we provide our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the major wildfire response-related proposals included in the Governor’s 2022-23 budget.

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The 2022-23 Budget: Wildfire and Forest Resilience Package

January 26, 2022 - In this brief, we provide our initial assessment and recommendations in response to the Governor's wildfire resilience package, which would provide $1.2 billion over two years (including $800 million of new funding) for proposals intended to reduce the risk of severe and damaging wildfires.

Environment and Natural Resources Staff
Ross Brown
(916) 319-8345
Air Quality, Energy, and Climate Change
 
Helen Kerstein
(916) 319-8364
Forestry, Parks, and High Speed Rail
 
Sonja Petek
(916) 319-8340
Water, Coastal Development, and Fish and Wildlife
 
Frank Jimenez
(916) 319-8324
Highways and Roads, Recycling, Agriculture, and Toxics
 
Eunice Roh
(916) 319-8327
Mass Transportation, Traffic Enforcement, Statewide Infrastructure
 
Rachel Ehlers
(916) 319-8330
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Environment and Transportation